PARIS: France received on Monday five Afghan women “threatened by the Taliban” after repeated requests it creates a humanitarian corridor for women shut out of public life, an official said.

Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban authorities have imposed a strict interpretation of Islam, with women bearing the brunt of laws the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”.

Women and girls have been banned from attending high school and university as well as barred from visiting parks, fairs, and gymnasiums.

French immigration authority chief Didier Leschi said that by presidential order, “special attention is being paid to women who are primarily threatened by the Taliban because they have held important positions in Afghan society… or have close contacts with Westerners”. “This is the case for five women who will arrive today,” Leschi said.

The women include a former university director, an ex-NGO consultant, a former television presenter, and a teacher at a secret school in Kabul. One of the women was accompanied by three children.

The women had been unable to leave Afghanistan on airlifts to Western countries when the Taliban returned to power in 2021. They fled to neighbouring Pakistan where they sought temporary refuge. From there, the French authorities organised their evacuation, Leschi said.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2023