Ernst Demands U.N. Hold Taliban Accountable for Ongoing Attacks Against Afghan Women and Girls

WASHINGTON— In the wake of the horrific abuses perpetrated by the Taliban against Afghan women and girls, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) co-led a bipartisan letter to the United Nations (U.N.) to take direct action to hold the Taliban accountable. Ernst and her colleagues wrote a letter to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urging the U.N. Security Council to once again freeze international travel for Taliban leadership and to guarantee the Taliban does not receive a formal diplomatic seat at the United Nations.

“We must not stand by as the Taliban seeks to erase the human rights of Afghan women and girls. In this moment, the United Nations has an opportunity to take meaningful actions that will send a clear, unequivocal message to the world that its member nations will defend the human rights of Afghans, particularly women and girls,” the Senators wrote. “The United Nations is uniquely positioned to influence the Taliban, without harming ordinary Afghans, and we urge you to use the tools already available to do so. We strongly urge the United Nations to prioritize and advance the human rights of women and girls through all aspects of its work in Afghanistan.”

To read the letter, click here.

Background:

Since the fall of Afghanistan, Senator Ernst has been a vocal champion for protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls. Ernst led every single female senator—all 24—in a bipartisan letter to President Biden calling on him to do so.

Following the Taliban’s decision to renege on its promise to open schools to Afghan girls above the sixth grade, Ernst joined Shaheen and Collins, along with Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), in condemning the Taliban’s “assault on women’s education, rights, and freedoms in Afghanistan.”

Earlier this year, Senator Ernst visited the U.N. to discuss how the U.S. and international community can best support women and girls in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

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