QCOSTARICA – Costa Rica will receive 48 women fleeing Afghanistan in search of refuge, fearing that their rights will not be respected by the Taliban who took power, reported Vice President Epsy Campbell.
Campbell said that the country “decided to open its borders and will serve as a humanitarian bridge for Afghan women seeking refuge.”
The action will be carried out in coordination with the United Nations.
“We take the necessary actions, within our scope of action, to safeguard the lives and well-being of women and girls. There is enough evidence on the disproportionate effects of conflict on women and girls. In Afghanistan it is they who face the worst consequences, added the VP on Twitter.
Costa Rica ha decidido abrir sus fronteras y servirá como un puente humanitario para las mujeres afganas que buscan refugio. Tomamos las acciones necesarias, dentro de nuestro ámbito de acción, para salvaguardar la vida y el bienestar de las mujeres y niñas de Afganistán. 2/3
— Epsy Campbell Barr (@epsycampbell) August 17, 2021
This group of women has been linked to the United Nations in that country. The measure is taken after a request from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
According to the Costa Rican Vice Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Christian Guillermet, “the country has a long tradition of collaboration with the United Nations and with its personnel, and in the face of a situation such as that experienced in Afghanistan, we are analyzing this possible cooperation with the system, within the framework of national legislation.
The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan after being deposed in 2001 in an invasion led by the United States, which is now withdrawing its troops from this country.
Due to the brutal human rights record of the Taliban, tens of thousands of Afghans are trying to flee the country, amid shock from the international community.
On Tuesday, Taliban co-founder and deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said the new regime will be “positively different” from the one they led between 1996 and 2001, remembered for stoning and flogging, for preventing girls from going to school and for women to work or go out without a male companion.
Costa Rica signed a joint declaration with the European Union, the United States and several countries, calling on “those who occupy positions of power and authority throughout Afghanistan to guarantee” the protection of women and girls.
“For the life and rights of the women of Afghanistan, let us come together to create the‘ Humanitarian Front for Afghan women and girls ’. They need us. Let’s act like a real United Nations!” said Vice President Campbell.
