Global parliamentary leaders demand Afghan girls’ right to education

Twenty female parliamentary leaders from around the world, including Yaël Braun-Pivet of France and Roberta Metsola of the European Parliament, have reaffirmed their commitment to Afghan women’s rights, particularly their right to education.

In a joint article published in the French newspaper Le Monde, the leaders emphasized that Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans girls above the age of 12 from attending school, describing this prohibition as a violation of a fundamental and universal human right.

The statement, also signed by prominent figures such as former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Spain’s Francina Armengol, and Angola’s Carolina Cerqueira, expressed solidarity with Afghan women.

The leaders criticized the Taliban’s recent decree on “Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice,” which further restricts women’s basic freedoms by barring them from leaving their homes unaccompanied or expressing their opinions in public spaces.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, around 160 members of the French Senate voiced alarm over the conditions faced by Afghan women, labeling the situation “gender-based apartheid.”

The senators urged the United Nations to refrain from any actions that might legitimize the Taliban regime, arguing that such policies amount to crimes against humanity based on gender.

This growing international condemnation reflects mounting pressure on the Taliban to reconsider its policies toward women, amidst widespread criticism of denying fundamental rights to half the Afghan population.