Meryl Streep takes on the Taliban with a story about cats, squirrels and birds

By Hilary Whiteman, CNN

(CNN) — When award-winning actress Meryl Streep spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly about cats, squirrels and birds, she wasn’t making a point about hunters and prey.

She was comparing all three with women and girls in Afghanistan – and pointing out that the animals have more rights.

“A cat may feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park… A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not, and a woman may not in public. This is extraordinary,” Streep said on Monday. “This is a suppression of the natural law. This is odd.”

As Streep’s words ricocheted around social media, four countries stepped forward to announce “unprecedented” action against the ruling Taliban for its “systematic oppression” of women and girls.

Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands on Thursday accused the hardline Islamist group of violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The convention was ratified by the previous Afghan government in 2003, well before the Taliban re-seized power three years ago after the withdrawal of the United States and its allies following a 20-year war.

“We know that women and girls of Afghanistan are effectively being erased from public life by the various edicts the Taliban have issued,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in New York.

“The steps we are taking with Germany, Canada and the Netherlands are unprecedented.”

Tightening restrictions

Since taking power, the Taliban has gradually tightened restrictions on women and girls.

They are no longer allowed to work or study beyond grade 6. Their bodies must be fully covered, and they are forbidden to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.

The Taliban’s latest edicts last month, referred to by Streep, include the demand for women and girls to remain silent in public.

According to the Taliban’s own strict interpretation of Islam, a woman’s voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading out loud.

This systematic oppression of women and girls, also alleged by the UN, has fueled a mental health crisis in Afghanistan’s female population.

Depression among women and girls is rising, according to health experts and rights activists – leading to a surge in suicide and suicide attempts.

Human Rights Watch says the legal move by the four Western nations could lead to proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

As a signatory to CEDAW, Afghanistan is expected to respond to the complaint.

However, the document was signed by the previous government, and so far, the Taliban has shown no sign of changing its stance despite international condemnation.

In a statement Thursday, a Taliban spokesman said it was “absurd” to accuse Afghanistan’s leaders of gender discrimination.

“Human rights are protected in Afghanistan and no one is discriminated,” said Hamdullah Fitrat Fitrat.

“Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to spread propaganda against Afghanistan through the mouths of some women and make the situation look wrong.”

‘Erasure of an entire gender’

In New York, Streep told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that she felt moved to speak up for Afghan women and girls because the Taliban’s actions are “like the erasure of an entire gender.”

Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan member of parliament, told Amanpour the Taliban had “failed to understand that Afghanistan has transformed.”

Despite the Taliban’s efforts to erase them, she said women were fighting to have their voices heard.

After the Taliban banned women’s voices in public, some posted videos of themselves to social media, singing in defiance.

“That is a sign of a different Afghanistan that the Taliban don’t get,” said Koofi. “Today, every woman in Afghanistan is a journalist, every woman in Afghanistan is a TV, by talking about what their experience is.”

Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the action by Germany and its partners may mark the beginning of the path to justice for the Taliban’s “egregious human rights violations against Afghan women and girls.”

“It is vitally important for other countries to register their support for this action and for them to involve Afghan women as the process moves forward,” she said.

CNN’s Ehsan Popalzai contributed reporting. 

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