The UN Secretary General António Guterres said that women and girls “are erased from public life” in Afghanistan.

Guterres made the remarks at a session of the Commission on the Status of Women conference.

“The session of the Commission on the Status of Women is one of the important … events at the United Nations. And it takes on even greater significance at a time while human rights are being threatened and violated around the world. Progress of over one decade is vanishing before our eyes. In Afghanistan women and girls are erased from public life,” he said.

This comes as the US special envoy Rina Amiri at a meeting which was held in New York on the situation of women, expressed concerns about the situation of human rights and the rights of women.

“This is the message that I have taken in every meeting that I have had with the international community and with the Taliban. And I think that is a message that we all should be carrying and that this is something that we should continue to advocate,” she said.

“The continuation of these policies will further deteriorate the socioeconomic situation in Afghanistan and will hamper efforts by the people of Afghanistan in achieving self-reliance, sustainable development goals and ultimately peace and sustainable development,” said the Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq.

The deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Bilal Karimi, denied the “concerns” regarding the human rights situation, saying that the rights of all Afghans are preserved within an Islamic structure.

“The Islamic Emirate as a responsible government ensures the rights of all citizens of the country and takes steps based on beliefs and Islamic values. No side should be concerned in this regard,” he said.

This comes as a number of female students in the capital city of Balkh held a gathering and called on the caretaker government to reopen the doors of schools and universities for girls and women.