Severe Abuses against Women, Critics; Economic Crisis Threatens Millions
\n New York
\nThe Taliban have created the world\u2019s most serious women\u2019s rights crisis since taking power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. Afghanistan is also experiencing one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crises, with aid severely underfunded, thousands of Afghans forced back into Afghanistan from Pakistan, and thousands of others expecting to emigrate to Western countries still waiting.
\nUnder the Taliban, Afghanistan is the only country where girls are banned from education beyond the sixth grade. The Taliban have also violated women\u2019s right to freedom of movement, banned them from many forms of employment, dismantled protections for women and girls experiencing gender-based violence, created barriers to them accessing health care, and barred them from playing sports and even visiting parks.
\nThe United Nations special rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has described the situation as \u201can institutionalized system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity, and exclusion of women and girls.\u201d
\n\u201cUnder the Taliban\u2019s abusive rule, Afghan women and girls are living their worst nightmares,\u201d said Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. \u201cAll governments should support efforts to hold the Taliban leadership and all those responsible for serious crimes in Afghanistan to account.\u201d
\nSince January 2024, the Taliban have detained women and girls in Kabul and other provinces for what they call \u201cbad hijab\u201d \u2013 that is, for not abiding by the prescribed dress code.
\nUN experts have reported that some of those detained have been held incommunicado for days and subjected to \u201cphysical violence, threats and intimidation.\u201d In addition to intensified restrictions on women\u2019s and girls\u2019 rights, the Taliban have severely curtailed freedom of expression and the media and have detained and tortured protesters, critics, and journalists.
\nThe cutoff in development assistance has helped to create Afghanistan\u2019s humanitarian crisis.
\nThe UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported that more than half of the population \u2013 23 million people \u2013 face food insecurity.
\nWomen and girls are among the most seriously affected. The UN humanitarian response plan for 2024 is underfunded; as of August, donor countries had contributed only 12 percent of the funds needed.
\nThe loss of foreign assistance has severely harmed Afghanistan\u2019s healthcare system and exacerbated malnutrition and illnesses resulting from inadequate medical care. Taliban restrictions on women and girls have impeded access to health care, jeopardizing their right to health.
\nThe Taliban\u2019s education bans guarantee future shortages of female health workers, Human Rights Watch said. Donor countries need to find ways to mitigate the ongoing humanitarian crisis without reinforcing the Taliban\u2019s repressive policies against women and girls.
\nMore than 665,000 Afghans have arrived in Afghanistan from Pakistan since September 2023, having been forced out during a Pakistani government crackdown on foreign immigrants and refugees. Many had lived in Pakistan for decades. The numbers have added to the millions who have been internally displaced in Afghanistan and have strained existing humanitarian support.
\nThousands of Afghans who fled the country after the Taliban takeover live in limbo in Iran, T\u00fcrkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries as resettlement processes in countries that pledged to take in Afghans, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, have been slow and inadequate to the needs of at-risk Afghans.
\n\u201cThe third anniversary of the Taliban\u2019s takeover is a grim reminder of Afghanistan\u2019s human rights crisis, but it should also be a call for action,\u201d Abbasi said. \u201cGovernments engaging with the Taliban should consistently remind them that their abuses against women and girls and all Afghans violate Afghanistan\u2019s obligations under international law. Donors should provide assistance aimed at reaching those most in need and crafting durable solutions to Afghanistan\u2019s humanitarian crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Severe Abuses against Women, Critics; Economic Crisis Threatens Millions New York The Taliban have created the world\u2019s most serious women\u2019s rights crisis since taking power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. Afghanistan is also experiencing one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crises, with aid severely underfunded, thousands of Afghans forced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-424505","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n