Statement on Afghanistan

The fall of the Afghan government and the subsequent Taliban takeover have quite rightly sent shockwaves around the world. Largely, the public discourse is centred around a narrative that the Taliban takeover means that the last two decades have accomplished nothing. I rise tonight to say that I strongly disagree. What that narrative fails to see is that, over the last 20 years, generations of women have seen what gender equality—or, more accurately, nearly gender equality—looks like. This gave the whole country hope for a freer life and a better future.

These brave Afghan women unshackled themselves from restraints placed upon them and achieved things that seemed unimaginable 20 years ago. In the past two decades, Afghan women have fought for their equal and rightful place in society, protected by our coalition forces. Young girls were free to attend school. Women were welcomed into universities, the police force, politics and professions such as the law. In Afghanistan, this was a radical step forward, evolving the very fabric of their society. Make no mistake: the Taliban's likely unravelling of these gains is an atrocity, and this is the greatest tragedy to come out of the fall of Kabul.