One year after the Taliban takeover, human rights abuses against women and girls in Afghanistan have increased and they are facing “gender apartheid”, Naheed Farid, a former member of the Afghan parliament, said during a UN press briefing.
“They face daily repression, persecution and insecurity. All of Afghan women, regardless of where they are, feel abandoned by the international community,” Ms Farid told reporters at the UN on Monday.
She appealed to the UN and member states to take all action possible to improve the situation.
Human rights activist Najiba Sanjar, who also addressed reporters, criticised the lack of international aid and support for Afghanistan.
She noted that UN aid is only at 38 per cent of what is needed and said that “there is a lack of transparency and proper accountability mechanisms of the international community's aid management and allocation”.
“What is happening in Afghanistan is unforgivable,” said Ms Sanjar.
Mona Juul, Norway’s permanent representative to the UN and the penholder for Afghanistan at the Security Council, reinforced her country's commitment to the issue, saying women's issues will remain “high on our agenda” — though she intends to continue engaging with the group responsible for their oppression.
“We will continue to engage with the Taliban directly to underscore how girls education and women's participation are fundamental. Not least to respond to the dire humanitarian and economic crisis in the country,” she said.
The Taliban, a hardline Islamist group whose administration is not officially recognised by most governments, have said that girls' schools will remain closed until a plan is drawn up in accordance with Islamic law for them to reopen.
Most girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan have been closed since the Taliban took over in August 2021, and the group made a sudden reversal on promises to reopen them in March.
Afghan women living under Taliban rule — in pictures
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Women wash freshly dyed silk in a factory in Herat province. Whether Afghan girls receive an education under the Taliban is turning into an issue of wealth, young women living under the regime say. AFP -
Afghan women walk in a Kandahar market. Even if Afghan girls can receive an education, the likelihood they will be able to put it to any use is low. AFP -
An Afghan women weaves silk to make scarfs and other products inside a workshop in the Zandajan district of Herat province. Many Afghan girls fear the longer they stay away from school, the more pressure will build to conform to patriarchal standards and marry. AFP -
Burqa-clad women work in a shampoo factory in Kandahar. AFP -
Women make flatbread in a factory in Kandahar. AFP -
An Afghan woman begs as Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul. Amnesty International says the Taliban have breached women's and girls' rights to education, work and free movement since they took control of the government. EPA -
Afghan women take a selfie at a park in Kabul. The rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan are increasing under Taliban rule, Amnesty International has said. EPA -
Afghan girls paint at a workshop class in Herat. The World Bank estimates that for each year of secondary education, the likelihood of marrying before the age of 18 decreases by five percentage points or more. AFP -
Afghan women protest in Kabul. The lives of Afghan women and girls are being destroyed by the Taliban’s crackdown on their human rights, Amnesty has said. AP -
An Afghan woman walks in a graveyard in Kabul. EPA -
Shgofe, an Afghan newscaster, presents a programme on private channel 1TV in Kabul. Female TV presenters and reporters in Afghanistan continue to appear with their faces covered to comply with a mandate issued by the Taliban. EPA -
An Afghan family walk past a market near the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul. AFP -
People at Wazir Akbar Khan Hill in Kabul. Whether Afghan girls receive an education under the Taliban is turning into an issue of wealth, young women living under the regime say. AFP -
Women browse through garments and fabrics for sale in a stall at a women's handicraft market in Herat. AFP -
Brides wait for the start of a mass wedding in Kabul. Dozens of Afghan women, concealed in thick green shawls, were married off in an austere ceremony attended by hundreds of guests and gun-toting Taliban fighters. AFP
