Canadian lawmakers call for Afghan women MPs to be brought to Canada
Jan 17, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], January 17 : After former Afghan parliamentarian Mursal Nabizada was shot dead in Kabul on Sunday, a group of Canadian Members of Parliament called for immediate action to bring back eight Afghan women MPs who are left behind in complete desperation in Kabul as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan under Taliban rule have made the lives of people miserable, Khaama Press reported.
Mursal Nabizada, a former Afghan MP, and her bodyguard were shot and killed in her house in the centre of Kabul, according to Kabul Police on Sunday. One of the few MPs who remained in Kabul when the Taliban retook power was Nabizada.
The investigation regarding the killing of Nabizada is underway.
In a joint statement, six Canadian MPs stated that they had been working on bringing the eight remaining Afghan women MPs to Canada for more than a year, according to Khaama Press.
The statement further added that women and girls are not safe in Afghanistan, especially not these courageous female MPs who paved the road for Afghan women under the previous administration.
"We urge the Canadian government to act on this matter urgently and take immediate actions to assist in getting these women to safety," the statement read.
Moreover, Afghan women Members of Parliament from the previous government who remained in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021, now face immediate threats, Khaama Press reported.
Under the Taliban's rule, Afghans' quality of life has drastically worsened, especially for women and girls. Women are increasingly prohibited from engaging in public spaces, sports, jobs, and education as time goes on.
Since 15 August 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls' freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses.
These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes.
According to a UNICEF report released in August, the fact that girls in Afghanistan are deprived of secondary education has cost the country's economy at least USD 500 million over the past 12 months, which amounts to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
