PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Afghanistan: Females (3 September 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the prevalence of forced marriage, (b) the status of women's rights and (c) access to education for girls under the incoming Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Asked by:
Fleur Anderson (Labour)

We are appalled by the reports of human rights abuses in the areas controlled by the Taliban including persecution of minority groups, harsh restrictions on women, and allegations of forced marriage. The UN Security Council has called for an inclusive, negotiated political settlement, with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, that upholds human rights, including for women, children and minorities. The G7 likewise made clear that the Taliban must adhere to obligations under international human rights law, including the rights of women, girls, and minority groups, and that it will be judged by its actions not its words. We have made huge gains in Afghanistan in the last twenty years on girls' education and women's rights and we will continue to work with our international partners to protect those gains.

Answered by:
Nigel Adams (Conservative)
13 September 2021