India expresses concern about discriminatory, inferior status accorded to women in Afghan society

United Nations

India on Wednesday expressed its concern about the discriminatory inferior status accorded to women in the Afghan society which has adversely impacted the education of girls in the war-torn country, while underlining the need for the Security Council to focus its attention on consequences of terrorism on the rights of women.

Addressing the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women and Peace and Security, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said discriminatory social and political structures have made violence against women systemic and deeply entrenched, making women easy targets in situations of armed conflict.

He underlined India’s deep conviction that a conducive environment for the participation and inclusion of women in political processes is indispensable for peace.

“To foster such an enabling environment, democratic polity, pluralism and the rule of law are essential prerequisites. For stability in our region, we have therefore been underlining the importance of inclusive and representative governance in Afghanistan, with the meaningful participation of women,” Mr. Tirumurti said.

“We are particularly concerned about the discriminatory inferior status being accorded to women in the Afghan society, which has inter alia adversely impacted the education of Afghan girls,” he added.

The Indian envoy further emphasised that terrorism and violent extremism continues to be the biggest violator of human rights and a persistent threat to global peace and security.

"Needless to say, women and girls invariably suffer disproportionately by terror acts. It deserves strong condemnation and call for adoption of a zero tolerance approach,” he said.