Make girls’ education ‘red line’ in talks with IEA, Amnesty tells int’l community

Amnesty International on Monday called on the international community to make girls’ right to education a “red line” during negotiations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Amnesty International’s South Asia Director Yamini Mishra said in a statement that IEA’s “devastating” backtrack on reopening schools for female students above sixth grade is “a blatant violation of the right to education and casts a shadow over the futures of millions of Afghan girls.”

“Amnesty International is calling on the international community to make women’s and girls’ rights to education a red line during negotiations with the Taliban (IEA) de-facto authorities,” Yamini said. “The Taliban (IEA) must, without further delay, allow girls of all ages to attend school and stop using cynical pretexts to further its discriminatory agenda.”

Last week, IEA reversed its decision to open secondary and high schools for girls, saying they would remain closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law for them to reopen.

The move was widely condemned by international organizations and foreign governments, with the United States abruptly cancelling meetings with IEA in Doha that were set to address key economic issues.

IEA said on Tuesday that pressuring the government on the issue of schools is an interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

“Schools remaining closed is an internal issue, and external pressures for their reopening is an interference in domestic affairs. Schools would open following the order of the IEA leadership,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for IEA.