Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Malala pleads with world to protect Afghan girls' right to education

Malala pleads with world to protect Afghan girls' right to education

NOBEL Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by a Taliban gunman in Pakistan as she left school in 2012, has pleaded with the world not to compromise on the protection of Afghan women's rights following the Taliban takeover.

As countries and organisations take the first steps to engage with the hardline Islamist group, Malala, 24, said that she worried the Taliban would act as they did when they were in power 20 years ago despite a sharp increase in work and education opportunities for Afghan women since then.


"We cannot make compromises on the protection of women's rights and the protection of human dignity," Malala told a panel on girls' education in Afghanistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday (24).

"Now is the time that we stick to that commitment and ensure that the rights of Afghan women are protected. And one of those important rights is the right to education," said Malala, who joined the panel by video.

Several world leaders promised to work for the rights of Afghan women and girls at the annual UN gathering this week, but it was unclear how they would do so.

Worries over women's rights in Afghanistan surged since the Taliban retook control in August, 20 years after they were driven from power by a US-led campaign in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The Taliban say they have changed since their 1996-2001 rule when they also barred women from leaving home without a male relative.

The Taliban stirred skepticism about how much they would respect women's rights when they said last week they would open schools for high school-aged boys but not girls.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the Taliban's desire for international recognition is the only global leverage to press for inclusive government and respect for rights, particularly for women, in Afghanistan.

Among those who spoke at the UN about the plight of Afghan women and girls were EU Council president Charles Michel and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez.

Michel called for preserving "as much as possible the gains of the last 20 years" and Sanchez said: "No society that allows only half of its population to move forward, and purposely keeps the other half behind, is sustainable."

More For You

Tower Hamlets secures funding to save domestic abuse support jobs

The planned strike action was called off after the external funding was secured

Tower Hamlets secures funding to save domestic abuse support jobs

Ruby Gregory

REDUNDANCY proposals which would have seen job cuts made to a ‘crucial’ domestic abuse support service in Tower Hamlets have been called off.

Solace Women’s Aid, which planned to make cuts, confirmed last Friday (28) the redundancies were no longer going ahead, following a boost in external funding which followed a threat of strike action.

Keep ReadingShow less
Report reveals Birmingham’s doctors face racism and bullying
Absences have risen at the Queen Elizabeth and Heartlands Hospitals in Birmingham, as well as Good Hope in Sutton and Solihull Hospital

Report reveals Birmingham’s doctors face racism and bullying

Gurdip Thandi

YOUNG doctors in Birmingham hospitals face a ‘shocking’ number of incidents of bullying, racism and sexism from patients and other staff.

The Medical Academy Annual Report was presented to a University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust board meeting, which revealed the data.

Keep ReadingShow less
Former police officer arrested in Rotherham investigation

Investigators believe the earlier offences happened between 1995 and 2002 (Photo for representation: iStock)

Former police officer arrested in Rotherham investigation

A FORMER police officer has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into child sexual abuse in Rotherham, authorities revealed on Tuesday (1).

The former constable, who is in his 50s, was taken into custody on Monday (31). He is suspected of raping a teenage girl in the South Yorkshire town in 2004, according to officials.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi Xi

Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping during their meeting in October 2024.

75 years of India-China relations: Modi, Xi call for stronger ties

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping exchanged messages on Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of India-China diplomatic relations.

Modi stated that the development of bilateral ties contributes to global stability and a multipolar world, while Xi called for a "dragon-elephant tango" to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions
Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions

THE Sri Lanka government on Wednesday (2) formed a committee to recommend measures regarding the UK's decision to impose sanctions on three former military commanders who led the campaign that crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

Health minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters that foreign minister Vijitha Herath, justice minister Harshana Nanayakkara and deputy minister of defence Aruna Jayasekara would comprise the committee that would consult experts for the purpose.

Keep ReadingShow less