On Monday, Denmark decided to systematically grant asylum to women and girls from Afghanistan, where their rights have been severely curtailed since the return to power of the Taliban, AFP reports.

women from AfghanistanPhoto: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP/Profimedia

“The decision is based on information about the continuing deterioration of living conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan,” the Danish Refugee Appeals Board said in a statement, citing the agency’s report recently published by European Asylum.

“This report indicates that the situation of a number of groups of people in Afghanistan, including women and girls, is likely to constitute persecution within the meaning of the Refugee Convention,” she continued.

According to the Danish Refugee Appeals Committee, five pending cases of Afghan women will be granted asylum under the new ruling.

The authority will also review the cases of Afghan women who have been denied asylum since the Taliban came to power, with a view to granting residence permits to eligible persons under the new ruling (about ten cases).

It will also review all the cases of Afghan male asylum seekers (about thirty cases) who have been refused asylum since the same date.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban has gradually eroded the freedoms women have won over the past two decades since the fall of their previous regime in 2001.

In addition to being denied the right to education, women are also barred from holding most government positions.

They are not allowed to travel without a male relative and must wear a burqa or hijab when leaving home.

In late December, Taliban authorities also ordered local and foreign NGOs to stop hiring the women after “serious complaints” about their clothing, four days after banning them from university for the same reasons.

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