Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Green for her question and for her continued work for equality at home and beyond our shores.

The UN has described the status of women and girls in Iran as that of second-class citizens. Discrimination is entrenched in Iranian law and practice. But the women of Iran have not been cowed. Instead, these courageous women and girls and their allies have been at the forefront of protests, shouting, 'Women, life, freedom,' and the Australian government stands with them. We have called out Iran for its systematic discrimination against women and girls—most recently at the Human Rights Council last week. We have imposed sanctions on Iranians and Iranian entities involved in the violent crackdown on protesters.

We stand too with the women of Afghanistan, where women's rights have been going backwards under the Taliban. The UN has found that the Taliban's treatment of women and girls may even amount to a crime against humanity. Women have been banned from attending university and girls from secondary education. Their movements and access to employment have been restricted. Sexual and gender based violence has increased. So Australia is supporting the United Nations to provide health facilities and professionals to deliver reproductive health, counselling and protection services to vulnerable Afghan women and children, and last year we supported the World Food Program to provide food assistance to over 12 million women and girls. Australia and others have supported our partners to deliver life-saving health care, shelter, education, nutrition, protection and cash assistance.

There are many places in the world where we need to continue to work with the brave women and men who seek to improve the position of women and girls in societies where they are, regrettably and sadly, treated in these ways.