Taliban's Restrictions on Afghan Women Condemned on Women Day
The UN report highlights the need for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, including the restoration of girls' education and the disbanding of the "virtue police," and warns that any de facto recognition of the Taliban would legitimize a government presiding over gender apartheid and crimes against humanity.
The German Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the Taliban's harsh restrictions on Afghan women, calling Afghanistan a "social dungeon" for women and girls, as the international community marks Women Day with calls for action against the regime's human rights abuses.
Since January, the Taliban has issued 138 decrees targeting women and girls, systematically excluding them from public life and imposing severe restrictions on their freedoms. Afghan and international human rights organizations are demanding urgent action to hold the Taliban accountable for their abuses, calling for inclusive, meaningful dialogue and recognizing Afghan women and girls as agents of change.
The Taliban's policies have led to a catastrophic human rights crisis in Afghanistan, with the regime systematically oppressing women, minorities, and civil society, while mismanaging humanitarian and public health systems. The UN has warned that the policies risk entrenching a precedent for gender apartheid globally, demanding urgent legal recognition of the term under international law.
The Taliban's regressive policies have also precipitated a healthcare meltdown, with bans on women's medical education crippling an already fragile system. Maternal mortality rates are rising as women face arrest for seeking care without male escorts, and the regime's obstruction of polio vaccinations has reversed decades of progress, endangering millions.
As the international community continues to condemn the Taliban's treatment of women, activists warn that without direct action, the situation will continue to worsen, and the country will face a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of people at risk of displacement and poverty.
