Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Foreign Secretary, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help protect women from oppression in Afghanistan.

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions.  Most recently in August the Foreign Secretary stated that the exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is a tragic setback for Afghanistan. Officials regularly press the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions, both bilaterally and with international partners. We are committed that at least 50 per cent of those reached by UK aid in Afghanistan are women and girls, and we contribute to a $20 million Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund project that supports civil society, particularly women-led organisations.