Meryl Streep calls out Afghan women's suppression at UN forum

"Today in Kabul a female cat has more freedom than a woman. A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face, she may chase a squirrel in the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban,” said Streep, who, together with some leading Afghan activists, participated in the event "Inclusion of Women in the Future of Afghanistan," held during the UN General Assembly in New York.

"A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not in public. This is extraordinary. This is a suppression of the natural law," emphasized Streep, as quoted by the "Independent."

These words referred to the Taliban's latest decree forbidding Afghan women from participating in public life. Women in Afghanistan, who make up almost half of the population, have been excluded by the Taliban from attending high schools, colleges, and universities.

The Taliban continue to impose draconian restrictions on women, forbidding them from leaving the house without a male guardian and threatening punishments for not following these rules. Public parks, gyms, and beauty salons have been closed since August 2021, when the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan.

During her speech, Streep warned that the situation in Afghanistan is a warning for the rest of the world and called on the international community to defend women's rights. "I feel that the Taliban, since they've issued over 100 edicts in Afghanistan, stripping women and girls of their education and employment, their freedom of expression and movement. They have effectively incarcerated half their population," said the actress.

Meryl Streep also called on Sunni states to intervene, reminding them that the Taliban consider themselves a Sunni movement. The actress noted that in the 1970s, women made up the majority of state officials in Afghanistan before the country was plunged into wars lasting over the past five decades.

The Taliban reject foreign criticism of their strict decrees concerning women, claiming it is an internal matter of Afghanistan. However, this group is not recognized by the international community, which demands the restoration of fundamental human rights for women.

"Without educated women, without women in employment, including in leadership roles, and without recognizing the rights and freedoms of one-half of its population, Afghanistan will never take its rightful place on the global stage," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as quoted by the "Independent."