France evacuates five Afghan women ‘threatened by Taliban’
The Hindu
France has responded to repeated requests to create a humanitarian corridor for Afghan women threatened by the Taliban, allowing five women and their children to arrive in Paris on Monday. The women, including a former university director, ex-NGO consultant, former TV presenter, and teacher, had been unable to leave Afghanistan and sought refuge in Pakistan. They will be registered as asylum seekers and given housing while their applications for refugee status are considered. France has evacuated nearly 16,000 people from Afghanistan since 2021, and an NGO has called for an "emergency" programme to take in more Afghan women.
France on Monday was due to receive five Afghan women "threatened by the Taliban" after repeated requests it create a humanitarian corridor for women shut out of public life, an official said.
Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban authorities have imposed a strict interpretation of Islam, with women bearing the brunt of laws the United Nations has labelled "gender apartheid".
Women and girls have been banned from attending high school and university as well as barred from visiting parks, fairs and gymnasiums.
They have also mostly been blocked from working for U.N. agencies or NGOs, with thousands sacked from government jobs or paid to stay at home.
French immigration authority chief Didier Leschi told AFP that by presidential order, "special attention is being paid to women who are primarily threatened by the Taliban because they have held important positions in Afghan society... or have close contacts with Westerners.
"This is the case for five women who will arrive today," Mr. Leschi said.
The women include a former university director, an ex-NGO consultant, a former television presenter, and a teacher at a secret school in Kabul.