GENEVA: On Monday, UN independent experts claimed asset freezes by both the United States and the Taliban are contributing to the misery of women in Afghanistan.
Taliban backtracks on women’s rights agreements like girls’ education following their takeover in August 2021 have been denounced by the United Nations and other international governments, notably the United States.
However, a statement by 14 UN independent human rights experts also accused the US government of making life more difficult for Afghan women by freezing billions of dollars of central bank assets that were collected during decades of assistance money for the nation.
According to a statement released by the United States, “the United States has worsened the threat of gender-based violence to women and girls, which has been a long-standing and grave concern.”
“Widespread gender-based discrimination” by the Taliban also contributed to the decline of women’s rights, according to the report.
According to the statement, the present humanitarian catastrophe has left 23 million people dependent on food help and has disproportionately affected women and children.
Since August, when the Taliban seized control and Western forces departed, central bank funds have been blocked.
US President Joe Biden renewed the freeze in February and indicated that he was trying to release up half of the money to help the Afghan people while keeping the rest to potentially fulfil terrorism-related claims against the Taliban.
In their report, the UN experts selected by the Geneva-based Rights Council claimed that the order’s terms were “overly broad” and that they were leading to “over-zealous compliance with sanctions,” denying the people of Afghanistan access to vital humanitarian relief.
According to the statement, governments, including the United States, are required by international human rights legislation to guarantee that their operations do not result in rights abuses.
The experts have already communicated their concerns and suggestions to Washington. As of now, they have not heard from anyone. Reuters has reached out to the US government for comment.
Works at The Truth International Magazine. My area of interest includes international relations, peace & conflict studies, qualitative & quantitative research in social sciences, and world politics. Reach@ [email protected]
