“All human beings are equal irrespective of race, age, gender and nationality; this is according to Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) ´ (Morsink, 2000). Policies on human rights do not apply to many countries where there is sharia law. Women in these countries don’t have equal rights like any other women in other parts of the world, for example in Afghanistan In1996, when the Taliban seized power they placed severe restrictions on women’s rights. The most disturbing about all this is that women are required to stay at home; the windows in those homes are being painted black to prevent any passerby from seeing them. When a woman is going out, she must be accompanied by a close male relative and required to wear chadari- veil, which cover, the entire body from head-to-toe. “The United Nations is doing nothing despite Afghanistan being a member state of its Organization” (Morsink, 2000).
The United Nations has a policy on open access to medical services in developing countries, however, depending on where Afghan women live; they do not have access to healthcare services. According to Mulla Mulla, the Taliban leader, he said, “Muslim women don’t have equal rights under the sheria law , and women are not allowed to work away from her home and with men- social interaction is not allowed in Taliban culture. 95 per cent of women living under Taliban controlled areas in Afghanistan expressed their opinion that Taliban government had made live difficult for them. Statistically 75 per cent of women under Taliban authority has suffered from Post Traumatic Stress compare to women who are not under the influence of Taliban in Afghanistan. “Women who contemplated to commit suicide in Taliban region, was 10 per cent higher as compare to the rest of the country” (Morsink, 2000).
According to former United Nations former Secretary General Koffi Annan, he said, “human rights for the people belong to no government and are not limited to any continent, for human rights are fundamental to all the human beings”. Taliban authority has imposed values which are against most people in Afghanistan, they do not reflect on the true culture of the people of Afghanistan. To counteract the force that are found in different countries in the world especially in the Middle East, overall which hold their countries , they exist unique set of cultural values in these society. “They are mainly using culture as a tool to denied women their basic human rights, others are using culture to discriminate against women” (Morsink, 2000).
The creation of various human rights Laws by individual Member States has made the goal of achieving world peace to be a pipe dream. We all know that peace can only be derived from Justice in a country, and justice from the standards which are found in the world (Laws and human rights). It is difficult to change the human rights values and policies of a member state of United Nations (UN), many countries in Middle East and Africa are violating International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights despite being a signatory to that agreement In my opinion it time for UN to start acting on the human right violations that are occurring in many parts of the world against women.
Reference List
Morsink, J. (2000). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: origins, drafting, and Intent Pennsylvania studies in human right. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.