Canada condemns latest rollback of women’s rights by Taliban regime in Afghanistan

Canada’s Special Representative to Afghanistan, David Sproule, has strongly condemned the Taliban’s recent crackdown on women’s rights in Afghanistan. The regime has implemented new restrictions that prohibit women from reciting the Qur’an or hearing each other pray, further marginalizing them from public life.

In an interview with CBC News, Sproule expressed his dismay at the continuous oppression of women by the Taliban. As a former Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007, Sproule has firsthand experience of the challenges faced by Afghan women. He emphasized that any hopes of the Taliban moderating their policies have been shattered by these oppressive edicts.

The call for action has been echoed by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, who recently visited Canada. Bennett urged the Canadian government to increase support for international human rights and grant refugee status to all Afghan women and girls seeking asylum in Canada. He emphasized the importance of sustaining initiatives that focus on education, livelihoods, and human rights activities to support Afghan women.

Afghan activist Friba Rezayee, now based in Canada, has called for even stronger action, including military intervention. She runs Women Leaders of Tomorrow, an organization advocating for the empowerment of Afghan women. Rezayee suggested that the Canadian Armed Forces should consider returning to Afghanistan to provide support to resistance groups like the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

Rezayee also proposed that Canada could label the Taliban’s actions as gender apartheid, potentially leading to legal proceedings by the International Criminal Court. A UN Human Rights Council report from last year already indicated that the Taliban’s actions could amount to gender apartheid.

Sproule acknowledged the challenging reality of the Taliban’s grip on power in Afghanistan, predicting that their rule is likely to continue in the foreseeable future. However, he emphasized the importance of international pressure to push for a long-term political solution that includes power-sharing and the easing of restrictions on Afghan women and girls.

While Canada supports the political efforts of the National Resistance Front, Sproule clarified that the government cannot endorse armed action against the Taliban. The focus remains on diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to support Afghan women and advocate for their rights in the face of ongoing oppression.