UN acquiesced to systematic neglect of women
[link|http://www.phrusa.org/research/health_effects/afghan.html|And these people dare to lecture *us*?]
Excerpt:
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) strongly condemns the United Nations' recent agreement with the Taliban regime that denies immediate access to health care and education for women in Afghanistan. The Boston-based health and human rights group demands that the international body renegotiate its terms immediately.
The agreement which was signed on May 13, 1998 but surfaced only recently, places the United Nations on record as agreeing with the Taliban that women's access to health care and education "will need to be gradual." The agreement also states that women's right to education, health care, and necessary development activities shall be based on "international standards and in accordance with Islamic rules and Afghan culture."
"The U.N. endorsement of Taliban restrictions on women's basic rights to education and health care is a betrayal of international human rights standards and of the female population of Afghanistan," said Leonard S. Rubenstein, Executive Director of PHR. "Furthermore, the Taliban's denial to women of the right to attend school or earn a living, is entirely inconsistent with Afghan history and religion".
