UN decries Taliban actions against Afghan women, girls

A new report by the United Nations said women and girls in Afghanistan have been systematically stripped of their rights since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

The UN decried the imposition of over 100 decrees targeting women and girls, restraining work, freedom of movement, and education, calling it “institutionalised discrimination”.

The exclusion of females from schools, jobs, public life, justice systems, and healthcare has intensified since 2025, worsening the “world’s most severe women’s rights crisis”, UN Women said.

The agency observed that the restrictions, alongside shorter life expectancy, higher risks of maternal death, child marriage, and gender-based violence, have also triggered a mental health crisis.

Half of the women interviewed by the UN body revealed they leave home only once or twice a month and feel unsafe outside without a male guardian, confirming waning fundamental rights.

UNESCO estimated that, as of 2026, 2.4 million girls remain excluded from secondary education, with limitations reversing two decades of progress in expanding access to education.

In a statement, the agency declared Afghanistan is the only country on earth to formally prohibit access to education for girls and women beyond the primary level.

UNESCO insists the situation violates their fundamental human right to learn and “risks condemning Afghanistan to decades of lost potential, deepening poverty, and irreversible harm”.

In another report, the UN noted that Afghanistan, under the Taliban rule, is witnessing human rights violations, detention, and discrimination against women and girls.

The UN Assistance Mission reported a significant lack of public information on the status of investigations or actions to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable.

As part of Sharia Law implementation, the Taliban set up the Security and Filtration Commission and the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, replacing the constitution.

UNAMA urges the authorities to strengthen accountability across all security institutions by ensuring clear rules, procedures, and codes of conduct, consistent with international standards.