Meryl Streep confronts the Taliban through a tale revolving around feline, arboreal rodents, and avian creatures.
A feline can bask in the sun's rays, while a rodent scampers through the park... A feathered creature may croon in Kabul, but a girl or woman may not, and a public outing is off-limits for a woman. Meryl Streep made this observation on a Monday, labeling the situation as "extraordinary". She further deemed it a suppression of fundamental rights and a peculiarity.
Streep's remarks sparked a flurry of reaction across social media platforms, prompting four nations to announce retaliatory measures against the Taliban for its alleged feminine suppression.
Germany, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands declared their intentions of violating the Taliban for breaching the CEDAW convention. This convention, ratified by the predecessor Afghan government in 2003, was disregarded by the Taliban when they reclaimed power three years ago following the US's withdrawal.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong of Australia stated that Afghan women and girls have effectively vanished from the public realm due to the Taliban's regulations. She explained that the collaborative action between the four countries was unprecedented.
Strictening regulations
Since their ascension, the Taliban has increasingly tightened control over women and girls.
They are banned from employment or further education beyond the sixth grade. Coverage of their bodies is mandatory, and they must avert their gaze from any male unrelated to them by blood or marriage.
Recent Taliban regulations require women to remain silent in public. The group's interpretation of Islam dictates that women's voices are intimate and should not be heard while singing, reciting, or reading aloud.
These oppressive practices, also concurred by the UN, have given rise to a mental health crisis in Afghanistan's women population. Depression rates among women are escalating, leading to an increase in suicide attempts, health experts and activists have reported.
Human Rights Watch anticipates that the legal intervention by the four Western nations could lead to a trial at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Since the document was signed by the former government, Afghanistan is expected to address this complaint, albeit the Taliban has shown no signs of relenting.
The Taliban government has yet to respond to the CEDAW action.
Demolition of a gender
In New York, Streep shared her sentiments with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, stating that she was compelled to stand up for Afghan women and girls due to the Taliban's actions, which are akin to "erasing an entire gender".
Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan member of parliament, informed Amanpour that the Taliban had failed to grasp the transformation of Afghanistan. Despite their attempts to silence them, Koofi asserted that women were determined to be heard.
Following the Taliban's restriction of women's voices in public, some individuals popularized videos of themselves singing in defiance across social media. Koofi declared, "This indicates a diverse Afghanistan that the Taliban haven't yet grasped." She further explained that every woman in Afghanistan has become a journalist and a news outlet, voicing their personal experiences.
Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher for Human Rights Watch, suggested that the collaborative efforts of Germany and its partners could pave the way for just resolution of the Taliban's "significant human rights violations against Afghan women and girls".
"It is imperative for other countries to express their support for this action and to continually involve Afghan women as progress ensues," Abbasi concluded.
The issue of Taliban's alleged suppression of women's rights in Afghanistan gained global attention, resulting in four nations, including Australia, announcing retaliatory measures against the Taliban for violating the CEDAW convention. The Taliban's strict regulations in Asia have led to a mental health crisis among women, with depression rates surging and an increase in suicide attempts reported.
The Taliban's actions in Afghanistan have been condemned as a form of "erasing an entire gender" by Meryl Streep, highlighting the oppressive practices imposed upon women in the region, which have been concurred by the UN.
