Reacting to the Taliban’s decree on women’s right which states that woman is not to be considered “property” and must consent to marriage. Special representative of United States to Afghanistan Thomas West said that the Taliban’s decree confirming a woman’s freedom to choose whether and with whom she marries was welcomed by Washington.
“A woman is not a property, but a noble and free human being; no one can give her to anyone in exchange for peace or to end animosity,” read the decree issued a day earlier.
Welcome today’s decree reinforcing a woman’s right to determine if & whom she marries. At the same time, much more is needed to ensure women’s rights in every aspect of Afghan society including schools, workplaces, politics and media.
— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@US4AfghanPeace) December 3, 2021
“At the same time, much more is needed to ensure women’s rights in every aspect of Afghan society including schools, workplaces, politics, and media,” said Thomas West.
The Taliban-led Afghan government issued a decree on women’s rights on December 3 that said that women should not be considered “property” and that they must consent to marriage, but it did not include female access to education or job outside the house.
Since taking over the country on August 15, the Taliban has been under pressure from the international world, which has generally halted payments for Afghanistan, to commit to respecting women’s rights.
