The mission continued to receive reports that Afghan women are being denied the opportunity to join the workforce, are unable to access services without a male relative while girls are still deprived of their right to education.
Since the Taliban took over the country from the democratically-elected Government in August 2021, women and girls have been systemically excluded from equal participation in society, the report confirms.
UNAMA, whose mandate includes monitoring human rights, also reported public floggings, shrinking civic space, and brutal attacks on former government officials.
Beauty salons shuttered
Officials have reportedly shut down beauty salons run by women in their homes and women’s radio stations in various provinces, UNAMA said.
In the province of Kandahar, de facto inspectors asked shopkeepers in a market to report women unaccompanied by a guardian (mahram) and deny them entry into their shops.
At one hospital, authorities ordered staff not to provide care to unaccompanied female patients.
Forced conversions
Taliban authorities have also increased enforcement of repressive restrictions on media outlets, ramped up corporal punishment, and the clampdown on religious freedom and re-education.
Between 17 January and 3 February, in Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan, at least 50 Ismaili men were taken from their homes at night and forced to convert to Sunni Islam under the threat of violence, the report details.
More than 180 people, including women and girls, have been flogged for the offences of adultery and practicing homosexuality during the reporting period, in public venues attended by Taliban officials.
Taliban claim support for women’s rights
Despite documented evidence from the report that de facto authorities are continuing to violate international norms and rights protections, Taliban officials disagree.
“Ensuring the dignity, honor, and Sharia-based entitlements of women remains a paramount priority for the Islamic Emirate,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a social media post on March 8, International Women’s Day.
“All fundamental rights afforded to Afghan women have been safeguarded in strict accordance with Islamic Sharia law, as well as the cultural and traditional frameworks of Afghan society,” he added.
International legal action
UNAMA has called for action to restore women’s and girls’ rights at the international level.
In January, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Taliban Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqan over persecution on gender grounds, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.
The Taliban rejected the ruling, citing national sovereignty and religious traditions.
