India concerned about discriminatory and inferior status given to women in Afghan society

India on Wednesday expressed concern over the discriminatory lower status given to women in Afghan society, which has had a negative impact on girls’ education in the war-torn country, while stressing the need for the Council of security to focus attention on the impact of terrorism on women’s rights.

Addressing the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women and Peace and Security, Permanent Representative of India to UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti said that social structures and discriminatory policies have made violence against women systemic and deeply rooted, making women easy targets in situations of armed conflict.

He underscored India’s deep belief that an enabling environment for the participation and inclusion of women in political processes is essential for peace.

“To foster such an enabling environment, democratic politics, pluralism and the rule of law are essential prerequisites. For stability in our region, we have therefore emphasized the importance of inclusive and representative governance in Afghanistan, with the meaningful participation of women,” Tirumurti said.

“We are particularly concerned about the discriminatory lower status accorded to women in Afghan society, which has had a negative impact on the education of Afghan girls in particular,” he added.

The Indian envoy further underlined that terrorism and violent extremism continue to be the biggest violators of human rights and a persistent threat to global peace and security.

”Needless to say, women and girls invariably suffer disproportionately from terrorist acts. This deserves strong condemnation and a call for a zero tolerance approach,” he said.

“The Security Council must focus its attention on the impact of terrorism on women’s rights,” Tirumurti said.

While noting that the internet and social media networks have the potential to increase women’s voice and increase their participation, he lamented that extremist groups and terrorists are increasingly exploiting these tools to the detriment of women. .

“They threatened women active in public life, muzzled their voices, amplified discriminatory ideas and encouraged violent radicalization,” Tirumurti said.

He noted that tackling these abuses requires a non-discriminatory and collective effort through a whole-of-society approach.

Tirumurti said that when it comes to conflict situations, the United Nations, regional organizations and the international community have a special responsibility towards women. Fighting impunity and ending violence and exploitation in conflict situations must be of paramount importance.

“The nature of peacekeeping and peacebuilding has changed to reflect these imperatives. In this regard, it is important that we take into account the growing concerns arising from the misuse of new and critical technologies,” he said.

Tirumurti pointed out that women police and peacekeepers have played a vital role in preserving the women’s peace and security agenda. “Having female peacekeepers is crucial to the success of peacekeeping missions. It also brings better access to civilians and other stakeholders, as well as additional skills for the peacekeeping team,” he said.

Women peacekeepers also serve as powerful mentors and role models for women and girls in post-conflict settings, inspiring the courage and resilience of female victims to stand up for their own rights and pursue non-traditional careers.

“India welcomes the uniform gender parity strategy aimed at increasing the number of female peacekeepers. We also support the increased deployment of women’s protection advisers for effective systems for monitoring, analyzing and reporting sexual violence in conflicts,” said Tirumurti.

“Just as a bird cannot fly with one wing, lasting peace cannot be achieved without the active participation of the opposite sex. Our active engagements and actions for world peace must be anchored on this premise,” he said.

He also pointed out that India’s political and development trajectory has overcome several complex challenges through its women-centered initiatives. “From women’s development to women-led development, women in India are the engine of India’s development,” Tirumurti said.

(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)