Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has urged the Taliban to immediately lift restrictions on female employees, warning that the bans are crippling aid efforts and isolating the country.
“I strongly echo @UNAMAnews in calling on the Taliban to lift restrictions on national female staff,” Bennett wrote Friday on X. “Blocking women from accessing workplaces or supporting communities in need is further proof that the Taliban must not be normalized until they change course.”
His remarks followed a statement by the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) calling for the reversal of the Taliban’s latest measures, which bar Afghan women working for the UN from entering offices in Kabul and other provinces. Taliban have also sought to block female staff from traveling to field sites, including areas hit by the Aug. 31 earthquake.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has since suspended its cash aid centers for returning migrants, saying it cannot deliver assistance safely or fairly without female staff.
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have banned most Afghan women from education, employment and public life. Rights groups and international organizations say the policies have severely disrupted humanitarian programs, leaving millions without critical support.
