Afghan Women Demanded Support for Afghan Women and Girls in a Meeting with the Albanian Foreign Minister

Fawzia Koofi, a former member of the Afghan parliament, said that the meeting discussed the recognition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan and the establishment of a strong accountability mechanism.

Ms. Koofi emphasized that Afghan women's rights activists asked the Albanian government to support them in creating their own narrative.

Albanian Foreign Minister Igli Hasani expressed his deep concern about the systematic discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan.

He promised Afghan women's rights activists that the Albanian government would use all global platforms of which it is a member to support Afghan women and girls.

"We will strive to be the voice of Afghan women," the Albanian Foreign Minister said.

The meeting comes as the Albanian government temporarily hosted dozens of Afghan families who fled Afghanistan in fear of the Taliban after they took power in August 2021.

Fawzia Koofi said that Afghan women's rights activists thanked the Albanian government for hosting Afghan refugees in difficult times.

The Albanian Foreign Minister also promised Afghan women that his country would support them at the UN Human Rights Council.

The promises of the Albanian Foreign Minister come as the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on girls and women for nearly three years.

Currently, girls in Afghanistan are not allowed to go to school or university. This action by the Taliban has caused millions of female students to be deprived of education.

In addition, women have been banned from going to gyms, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a mahram (male guardian), working in domestic and international NGOs, and even UN offices in Afghanistan.