Afghan women face discrimination

WOMEN in many parts of Afghanistan continue to face discrimination and intimidation more than a year after the fall of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime, according to a UN report issued yesterday.

The country's emergence from 24 years of conflict and the Taliban's ousting in late 2001 by a US-led coalition had led to some significant progress for women.

But many "Taliban-like" restrictions on women remained in parts of the country and a lot more still needed to be done to ensure their full and equal participation in society, the UN said in the report, issued ahead of International Women's Day tomorrowOK.