Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with Afghan women's groups on human rights in that country since August 2021.

The Government condemns restrictions the Taliban have imposed on Afghan women and girls. Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghan women. On 27 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia hosted a meeting of Afghan women leaders based in the UK and in Afghanistan where they discussed the impact of the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women as well as the inclusion of Afghan women in the future political process. Officials continue to work closely with the Afghan Women's Support Forum, established by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger, with the most recent meeting taking place on 5 July.