KABUL— The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) marked International Women’s Day by urging the restoration of Afghan women’s and girls’ rights, which have been severely restricted under Taliban rule.
“UNESCO gives voice to Afghan girls and women and calls for their rights to be restored,” the agency said in a statement on X.
More Than Three Years of Systematic Restrictions
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghan women have been stripped of fundamental rights, including access to education, employment, and public life.
The Taliban have banned education beyond sixth grade for girls and closed universities to female students, prohibited women from working in most sectors, including NGOs and government offices, restricted their movement, barring them from traveling without a male guardian, banned women from parks, bathhouses, beauty salons, and recreational spaces and have mposed social restrictions, including a ban on speaking loudly in public.
Despite global outcry from governments, international organizations, and activists inside Afghanistan, the Taliban have not only refused to reverse their policies but have intensified their restrictions on women’s rights.
UNESCO’s statement comes as calls grow for stronger international action to hold the Taliban accountable for what human rights advocates describe as gender apartheid.
