Human rights activist Malala Yousafzai has said that women representation in the Afghan government was crucial as the government was responsible for several policies that impacted them such as abortion laws and access to education.
Yousafzai appeared on a private TV show on Thursday to discuss what the new Afghan leadership meant for women. She stated that the Afghan Taliban would be acceptable to activists like her if they committed to democratic principles and women participation in government.
The education rights activist added that it was not up to the world to decide the political fate of Afghan people, but she stood with the activist community who have called for better implementation of human rights in the country.
Yousafzai also commented on west’s insistence that human rights be provided to Afghan people overnight and denied the idea that change in Afghanistan should be dictated by foreigners.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate said that countries should act in accordance with their own cultures and look to provisions existing within those cultures to grant women their rights and freedoms.
Women’s rights have been a contentious issue since the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul on August 15. Several women claimed on social media that they were sent home from universities and workplaces. Moreover, dozens of others who protested on the streets and chanted for a voice in the government were beaten by the Taliban.
Afghanistan’s interim cabinet has 33 members, none of whom are women. Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujhaid said on August 17 that the new regime respected women’s rights and would allow them to participate in society in accordance with what Islam allowed.
