French MPs call for sanctions on Taliban officials over school ban for girls

Kabul: French Parliamentarians have called for sanctions on Taliban officials in response to the ban on school girls above grade sixth imposed by the Islamist outfit in Afghanistan. In a letter to the French President and Parliament Speaker, more than 50 members of the French Parliament have called to impose travel sanctions on Taliban officials to force the Islamic Emirate to fulfill the human rights commitments it made soon after its takeover of Kabul last year, Tolo News reported.

"Human rights abuses have been widely reported since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the deprivation of female students from schools, the deprivation of women from work, the ban on women traveling and leaving their homes without a mahram are major acts committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan during this period, which is why we call on President Macron to add sanctions to the travel of Taliban officials," the letter reads.

Taliban's Ministry of Education blames "cultural challenges", the economic crisis, and a lack of female teachers for the delay in reopening girls' schools, adding that girls' schools above the sixth grade will reopen in the near future, the report said. "When schools above the seventh grade are separated, female teachers need to be hired. For example, there are more female teachers in cities, but fewer women teachers in villages and districts," Aziz Ahmad Rayan, a Taliban spokesperson was quoted as saying.

"If the Islamic Emirate does not care about the conditions of the international community regarding education and other issues of good governance, the government of the Islamic Emirate will be isolated in the international system," said Abdul Habib Fani, a political analyst told Tolo News.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed grave concerns over the closing of secondary schools for Afghan girls. "We are deeply concerned about women and girls in Afghanistan. In addition to restrictions on movement, access to work and education, they face heightened risks to safety and well-being. Their rights must be upheld," UNHCR tweeted.

The envoys and representatives of the European Union, US, and the European countries in a recent joint statement have also said that the international aid to Kabul will depend on Afghanistan's ability to ensure access to education for girls at all levels, said a media report.

A few weeks ago, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan issued a decree banning female students above grade six from attending their classes in schools. The girls were further told to stay home until the Islamic Emirate announces its next decision.