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Afghan women continue to suffer from increasing restrictions and violations under Taliban rule. Despite ongoing UN meetings aimed at condemning these abuses, the reality remains that the rights of Afghan women are being systematically ignored.
During the Third Committee meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Humanitarian, Cultural, and Social Matters on October 9, 2024, representatives discussed the situation of women in several war-affected Middle Eastern countries, including Afghanistan. The Afghan representative, who speaks on behalf of the ousted government, emphasized that the Taliban’s policies do not reflect Afghan culture. He stressed that the movement manipulates religion to legitimize its crimes through a series of decrees that legalize the oppression of women.
The representative highlighted the severe impact of the Taliban’s policies, including the isolation caused by preventing 1.1 million girls from attending school and barring women from economic independence. He described this as a “mental health crisis,” citing a study that revealed 8% of women know someone who has attempted suicide since the Taliban’s return to power. He praised Afghan women for their extraordinary resilience, noting their efforts to establish secret schools and lead protests despite the oppressive circumstances. He called on member states to hold the Taliban accountable using all available mechanisms.
The delegate from Norway expressed concern over the increasing restrictions on Afghan women’s lives under Taliban rule and called for more efforts to promote women’s participation in all areas of society. Germany also voiced grave concern about the erosion of women’s rights in Afghanistan, stressing the need for the Taliban to comply with international obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The U.S. representative emphasized that it could take 137 years to achieve sustainable development to lift women out of extreme poverty. She stressed the importance of involving women and girls in decision-making processes at all levels, from grassroots organizations to high government offices.
The UN meeting coincided with the release of a report by Human Rights Watch, which documented threats against former female police officers in Afghanistan.
The report, titled “Double Treason: Past and Present Abuses Against Afghanistan’s Police Officers,” published on October 10, 2024, details how Taliban authorities have targeted former policewomen since August 2021.
Many of these women have been forced into hiding out of fear of retaliation. The report highlights that hundreds of female officers under the previous government were subjected to sexual harassment and assault, including rape, by male colleagues, without any accountability. Since the Taliban takeover, they have faced threats of interrogation and retribution.
Former and current police officers, both in Afghanistan and in exile, have described the ongoing psychological trauma stemming from past abuses and the fear of reprisals from the Taliban and their own families.
“Afghan policewomen have been betrayed twice: first by the previous Afghan government, which allowed sexual violence against them to go unchecked, and then by states unwilling to resettle or protect these women,” said Farshta Abbasi, a researcher for Human Rights Watch.
Abbasi added that since the Taliban’s seizure of power, former policewomen have been forced to flee due to increased threats from the authorities and violence from families who opposed their police work. Since August 2021, the Taliban have issued over 70 decrees that strip Afghan women and girls of their basic rights. On August 22, 2024, Taliban leader Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada passed the “Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,” granting broad powers to enforce this oppressive law.
On August 28, 2024, UN Women expressed deep concern over the morality code enforced by the Taliban, particularly Article 13, which imposes severe restrictions on women’s mobility and daily life. On August 27, 2024, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged the Taliban to repeal this law, describing it as reinforcing policies that effectively erase women from public life, silencing their voices and denying their autonomy. According to UN Women, 64% of Afghan women report feeling unsafe leaving their homes alone, compared to just 2% of men.
Under Articles 2 and 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms without discrimination, including the right to life, liberty, and security.
Same Justice is urging the global community to pressure the Taliban to cease its restrictions and violations against women and girls.
Same Justice also calls on the UN Human Rights Council to gather evidence of the Taliban’s gross human rights abuses, investigate these crimes through the International Court of Justice, and hold violators accountable.
