UN holds emergency meeting on Taliban crackdown on women

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has held emergency closed consultations on the Taliban’s latest crackdown on Afghan women as it considers a presidential statement that would express deep concern at the new ban by Afghanistan’s rulers on women leaving home “without necessity” and wearing head-to-toe clothing when they do go out in public. The Norwegian-drafted statement would also call for a reversal of policies that restrict the rights of women and girls. Norway’s deputy U.N. ambassador Trine Heimerback told reporters before Thursday’s council meeting that the Taliban’s policies are focusing on oppressing women and girls rather than addressing  Afghanistan’s “catastrophic economic and humanitarian situation.”