Meryl Streep Advocates for Afghan Women and Girls at UN Event

News Desk

New York: Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep, a prominent advocate for women’s rights, spoke passionately about the plight of Afghan women and girls at a United Nations event on Monday.

Highlighting the stark contrast in freedoms, she stated, “Today in Kabul, a female cat has more freedom than a woman,” emphasizing the severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban regime.

Streep participated in the event titled “The Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan,” held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, alongside several prominent Afghan women activists.

She criticized the Taliban’s recent edicts that effectively silence women’s voices in public life, stating, “A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not, and a woman may not in public. This is extraordinary… This is a suppression of the natural law.”

The meeting was co-hosted by Ireland, Indonesia, Switzerland, and Qatar, in partnership with the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, which aims to ensure that Afghan women are included in international dialogues and decision-making processes regarding their future.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed his solidarity with Afghan women, stating, “We will continue to amplify the voices of Afghan women and call for them to play a full role in the country’s life, both inside its borders and on the global stage.”

Guterres condemned the Taliban’s actions, likening them to “some of the most egregious systems of oppression in recent history.” Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban have issued over 70 directives limiting women’s rights, including restricting girls to primary education and banning women from most professions and public spaces.

Margot Wallstrom, former Swedish foreign minister and chair of the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, moderated the event and remarked on the perilous times faced by women in Afghanistan, asserting, “Not here at the UN though. Today, we will let their voices and their concerns be heard.”

Streep also introduced a short version of the documentary film “The Sharp Edge of Peace,” which follows the only woman on the Afghan government negotiating team during talks with the Taliban in Doha in 2020.

She pointed out that Afghan women gained the right to vote in 1919, well before women in the United States. “The way that this culture, this society, has been upended is a cautionary tale for the rest of the world,” she warned, highlighting the urgent need for global awareness and action.