Meryl Streep condemns Taliban's draconian restrictions on women

On Monday at the United Nations forum, Meryl Streep spoke about women's rights in Afghanistan. "Today in Kabul a female cat has more freedom than a woman," she emphasised.

Today in Kabul a female cat has more freedom than a woman. A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face, she may chase a squirrel in the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban, Streep said. She, along with several leading Afghan activists, took part in the event "Women's Inclusion in the Future of Afghanistan" held on the occasion of the UN General Assembly in New York.

A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not in public. This is extraordinary. This is a suppression of the natural law – emphasised Streep, quoted by the "Independent".

These words referred to the latest Taliban decree banning Afghan women from participating in public life. Women in Afghanistan, comprising nearly half the population, have been barred by the Taliban from attending high schools, colleges, and universities.

The Taliban continue to impose draconian restrictions on women, prohibiting them from leaving home without a male guardian and threatening punishment for non-compliance. Public parks, gyms, and beauty salons have been closed since August 2021, when the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.

During her speech, Streep warned that the situation in Afghanistan is a cautionary tale for the rest of the world and called on the international community to defend women's rights. "I feel that the Taliban, since they've issued over 100 edicts in Afghanistan, stripping women and girls of their education and employment, their freedom of expression and movement. They have effectively incarcerated half their population," said the actress.

Meryl Streep also called on Sunni states to intervene, reminding the audience that the Taliban consider themselves a Sunni movement. The actress noted that in the 1970s, women made up the majority of government officials in Afghanistan before the country was plunged into wars lasting the last five decades.

The Taliban reject foreign criticism of their harsh decrees concerning women, claiming it is Afghanistan's internal matter. However, this group is not recognised by the international community, which demands restoring basic human rights for women.

Without educated women, without women in employment, including in leadership roles, and without recognizing the rights and freedoms of one-half of its population, Afghanistan will never take its rightful place on the global stage – said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, quoted by the "Independent".