Meryl Streep speaks up for Afghan women and girls at the United Nations

“A female cat has more freedoms than a woman” in Afghanistan, Meryl Streep said at the United Nations on Monday in a bid to get world leaders to focus on the plight of Afghan women and girls under the Taliban. The Taliban seized power in August 2021 when U.S.-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war. The U.N. has since sought a unified global approach to dealing with the Taliban, who have cracked down on women's rights. "A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face,” Streep said. “She may chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today, because the public parks have been closed to women and girls." Subscribe to ABC News on YouTube: https://abcnews.visitlink.me/59aJ1G ABC News Digital is your daily source of breaking national and world news, exclusive interviews and 24/7 live streaming coverage. Download the ABC News app for the latest headlines and alerts: https://abcnews.go.com/devices Watch 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events on ABC News Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN0PZCe-kwQ&ab_channel=ABCNews Watch full episodes of World News Tonight with David Muir here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQOa26lW-uI8ixlVw1NWu_l4Eh8iZW_qN&feature=shared Read ABC News reports online: http://abcnews.go.com ABC News is the home to the #1 evening newscast “World News Tonight” with David Muir, “Good Morning America,” “20/20,” “Nightline,” “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos, “ABC News Live Prime” with Linsey Davis, plus the daily news podcast “Start Here.” Connect with ABC News on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abcnews TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abcnews X: https://twitter.com/ABC Threads: https://www.threads.net/@abcnews LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abcnews