GENEVA — Afghan women are facing an unrelenting erosion of their fundamental rights under Taliban rule, Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Friday in a video message marking the 16-day campaign to end violence against women.
Mr. Türk condemned the Taliban’s policies as a “brazen affront to half the population” and described the restrictions on women as “self-inflicted harm on a national scale.” He urged the Taliban to immediately reverse their discriminatory measures.
“Afghan women and girls are being stripped of their basic rights — freedom of movement, expression, education, and work,” he said. “Over the past three years, they have endured egregious human rights violations that have effectively excluded them from public life and social participation.”
Women confined to ‘virtual prisons’
The high commissioner highlighted how Taliban decrees have severely curtailed women’s freedom and their ability to engage peacefully in society.
“These policies have deprived women and girls of public life and confined them to virtual prisons within their homes,” he said.
Mr. Türk warned that these measures not only violate women’s rights but also jeopardize the future of Afghanistan as a whole. The systematic suppression of half the population, he said, will have devastating consequences for future generations and the country’s prospects for peace and sustainable development.
“This is not only a tragedy for Afghan women but a national calamity,” he added.
Call for action
The United Nations and human rights organizations have repeatedly urged the Taliban to lift their bans on women’s education and employment and to allow them to participate fully in Afghan society. Despite international pressure, the Taliban’s policies remain unchanged, leaving millions of women trapped in a cycle of oppression and exclusion.
Mr. Türk’s remarks come as global attention turns to the plight of Afghan women during the international campaign to combat gender-based violence, underscoring the urgency of addressing the human rights crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.
