House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Afghanistan: Rights of Women and Girls

Tuesday 18 July 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

Ruth Cadbury asked the Minister about steps being taken to support the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
The Minister stated that households led by women are banned from leaving the home and rely on female Afghan aid workers who can no longer deliver humanitarian aid due to Taliban restrictions.
The Minister mentioned working with other countries to press the Taliban to reverse decisions affecting girls' education and bans on female aid workers.

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Questions & Answers

Q1 Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth

Women & Equalities

Context

The Taliban has restricted women from working for the United Nations and non-governmental organisations, and denied girls access to education. Households led by women are effectively banned from leaving their homes.

Question

What steps is he taking to support the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan? The Minister said that households led by women are effectively banned from leaving the home and are wholly dependent on female Afghan aid workers, who now cannot deliver humanitarian aid due to Taliban bans. A one or two week delay means mothers resort to unacceptable coping mechanisms like child marriage. What is the impact assessment of the Taliban's policy on essential aid distribution?

Answer from Andrew Mitchell

The impact assessment shows that the Taliban's decision is truly horrific, causing an appalling effect. We are working with other countries to press the Taliban to reverse its decisions regarding education for girls and bans on female aid workers delivering humanitarian assistance.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions and impact assessments on essential aid distribution were not detailed

How: Working With Other Countries, Pressing The Taliban

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Q2 Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth

Context

Taliban policies have banned female Afghan aid workers from delivering humanitarian aid, leading to delays in essential assistance reaching households led by women. These delays force mothers into negative coping mechanisms like child marriage.

Question

I thank the Minister for his answer. With Taliban banning female aid workers from delivering humanitarian aid and a one or two week delay meaning mothers resorting to unacceptable negative coping mechanisms such as child marriage, what is the impact assessment of the Taliban's policy on the distribution of essential aid?

Answer from Andrew Mitchell

The effect of the Taliban's decision regarding female workers and education is absolutely appalling. We are working with likeminded allies to try to rectify that by pressuring the Taliban to reverse these decisions.