Women activists call for greater rights in Afghanistan

An Afghan woman wearing a burka leaves a shop in Kabul (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

Women’s rights activists in the Afghan capital of Kabul have insisted they will continue fighting for access to education, employment and participation in the country’s political and social life, and said a recent Taliban decree banning forced marriage was not enough to address their issues.

The decree, issued on Friday, comes as poverty surges in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the country in mid-August amid the withdrawal of US and Nato troops. Foreign governments have halted funds to the aid-dependent country since then.