QUESTION PERIOD — Global Affairs
Women's Rights
November 5, 2024
Senator Gold, you don’t need me to tell you that women are being mistreated around the world.
In Iran, a female dissident has been arrested for stripping down to her underwear to protest repression and the hijab laws. In Afghanistan, women no longer have the right to speak amongst themselves. They are treated worse than animals.
Yet Uzbekistan, Russia, China and, according to The New York Times, dozens of other countries now accept members of the Taliban as diplomats.
What is your take on this shift toward normalizing gender apartheid?
Thank you for your question and for your work on this important issue.
Simply put, this is unacceptable. I want to make it clear that Canada strongly condemns the latest Taliban decree prohibiting women from speaking to one another in public. Canada also condemns the other measures you described, which are, unfortunately, widespread around the world.
Our government will continue to stand up for women around the world, especially Afghan women and girls and their right to live with dignity. That’s why we joined Germany, Australia and the Netherlands in launching a joint dispute under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Thank you for your answer, Senator Gold.
In June, the United Nations, backed by Europe, sought and obtained the Taliban’s participation in a conference about Afghanistan by agreeing to its condition that Afghan women not be invited and that women’s rights stay off the agenda.
Do you agree with that kind of compromise, which some consider to be kowtowing?
Obviously the government doesn’t agree with excluding women in any context, including this one. The current government has been very clear about the fact that Afghan women and girls have been silenced under the Taliban regime.
As I said at the beginning of my response to your first question, this is unacceptable.
