Rina Amiri Urges Islamic Emirate to Change Policies Toward Women

The Islamic Emirate said that good opportunities have been provided in the trade sector for women and it supports their achievements in Afghanistan.

Rina Amiri, United States Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, said that Afghanistan loses over one billion dollars annually due to the caretaker government’s policies toward women and girls in Afghanistan.

Rina Amiri wrote on X that the ban on girls’ education and women’s employment in Afghanistan harms all Afghans in the country and that to mitigate this damage, policies toward women and girls need to change.

“Afghanistan is losing more than $1B annually due to the Taliban’s extreme decrees against women and girls. The edicts prohibit Afghan women and girls’ education and employment are hurting all Afghans. To lift Afghanistan out of aid dependency and poverty, these policies must be reversed,” she said on X.

“We should be given the right to work, and we demand the government to grant all women the right to education and work. How long can we stay at home? Many women like me are the sole breadwinners for their families, so we need to work,” said Fauzia, an unemployed woman.

The United Nations Women’s Department said in a statement that excluding women from decision-making deprives Afghanistan of opportunities to emerge from the crisis.

“Excluding Afghan women from decision-making not only deprives Afghanistan of any chance of emerging out of crises, it also signals that attacking women’s rights, silencing their voices and erasing them from society doesn’t just get unpunished, it becomes normalized,” said UN Women on X.

“I ask the government and the international community to assist women in other sectors because women make up the largest segment of society, and if good work opportunities are provided for them, they have great potential,” Shabnam, a student, told TOLOnews.

The Islamic Emirate said that good opportunities have been provided in the trade sector for women and it supports their achievements in Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said that the frozen Afghan funds in the US directly impact the lives of women and men in the country, hence the need for the US to understand its responsibility in this regard.

“If America is so concerned about the Afghan people, it should first and foremost release the frozen Afghan funds. Approximately 9.1 billion dollars frozen in America directly negatively impacts the lives of the Afghan people; it affects both our sisters and men. Anyway, they must understand their responsibility towards Afghanistan,” he said.

Previously, the United States special representatives has called on countries worldwide to continue supporting women and girls in Afghanistan.

Rina Amiri Urges Islamic Emirate to Change Policies Toward Women