Taliban appoints Afghan woman as hospital chief

The Taliban has selected a woman as the head of an Afghan hospital for the very first time after taking control of the country in August 2021, quoting a source at the medical institution, Sputnik reported. The Health Ministry of the Taliban government has appointed Malalaya Faizi to lead the obstetrics and gynaecology facility in Kabul. This came after the global communities has raised worry over Afghan women’s rights and urged the Taliban to respect their demands.

Referring to the condition of Afghan women in the war-torn nation, a team of United Nations human rights experts had raised alarm on January 17, by saying that large-scale and systematic gender-based discrimination, as well as violence against women and girls, has been continuing since the Taliban takeover. According to Tolo News, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that the Taliban intend to gradually eliminate women and girls from public life.

However, on the other hand, the Taliban government has repeatedly denied imposing any limitations on women, claiming that women continue to work in government agencies. According to Tolo News, experts are also expressed concern about the potential of abuse of women and children, such as trafficking for the sake of the child and forced marriage, sexual abuse, and forced labour.

In addition to this, the European Parliament will host a series of activities to highlight and bring attention to the present situation in Afghanistan. The European Parliament will conduct the event on February 1st and 2nd, according to a statement from the European Union. The EU has even highlighted that women’s conditions had drastically deteriorated. The Parliament announced in the statement on Sunday that the ‘Afghan Women Days’ will begin with a high-level gathering. Republic World