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American actor Meryl Streep has said a “squirrel has more rights” than a girl in Afghanistan, adding her voice to a call by Afghan women to end the Taliban government’s severe restrictions on their lives.

Taliban authorities have implemented an austere interpretation of Islamic law since returning to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces.

Women and girls have borne the brunt of restrictions — including being barred from public parks, universities and singing in public — which the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”.

“A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban,” Streep said during a discussion on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.

“A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not and a woman may not in public,” the Oscar-winning actor said.

“I feel that the international community as a whole, if they came together, could affect change in Afghanistan, and stop the slow suffocation of an entire half [of] the population.”

The Taliban government, which is yet to be recognised by any other country, published a widely criticised law in August further tightening restrictions on women’s lives.

While many of the measures had been informally enforced since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, their formal codification sparked an outcry from the international community and rights groups.

The “vice and virtue” law dictates that a woman’s voice should not be raised outside the home and that women should not sing or read poetry aloud. It requires them to cover their entire body and face if they need to leave their homes, which they should only do “out of necessity”.

Asila Wardak, a leader of the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, said at the UN discussion that Afghan women were there to remind world leaders that “this fight is not only an Afghan fight” but “a global fight against extremism.”

Speaking about the situation of Afghan women during the General Assembly this week was “a small sign of hope” for them, said Fawzia Koofi, a former member of parliament in Kabul.

“But it’s not enough,” she said, calling for the appointment of a UN special envoy to put pressure on the Taliban government.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that discrimination against women was causing major damage to Afghanistan.

“Educating girls is one of the fastest ways to kick-start economic development and improve the health, well-being and prosperity of communities and entire societies,” Guterres said.

“Women’s participation and leadership has proven benefits for peace and security, social protection, environmental stability and more,” he said.

“Afghanistan faces serious challenges in all these areas.”