A bird has better protection than an Afghan woman. Welcoming the Taliban to Europe is a slap in the face | Fawzia Koofi

The EU must enact laws to stop gender apartheid and end impunity – not invite the perpetrators to Brussels. For Afghan women and girls it is a matter of survival

The Taliban in Afghanistan recently arrested three of my family members, kept them in captivity, tortured one, and confiscated my house. It was to silence me. I was about to write to European diplomats to seek support for the release of my innocent family when I heard the shocking news that the EU is inviting Taliban officials to Brussels.

After nearly five years, what has changed in Afghanistan to make life better for its women and its people? Five years with no official schools for female students beyond sixth grade, while thousands of religious schools have been established across Afghanistan, where girls may attend without restrictions. Five years of bans on women becoming doctors, while maternal and infant mortality have skyrocketed. Five years of exclusion from the job market, leaving women to beg on the streets.