A UN expert described the “staggering oppression” of women and girls in the United States. AfghanistanThe UN mission in the country accused Taliban officials of harassing female Afghan workers.
In a statement on Monday, the UN mission described “an increasing pattern of harassment by de facto authorities against Afghan UN female staff.” Three Afghan women working for the UN were recently detained and questioned. of the Taliban armed men,” he said.
The UN called for an immediate end to “all such acts of intimidation and harassment targeting Afghan female personnel” and reminded local authorities of their obligations under international law to ensure the safety and security of all UN personnel operating in Afghanistan.
A statement released by the Taliban late Monday evening denied that local authorities had detained any UN employees.
The incident came after Richard Bennett, the UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, called for radical changes. “Severe revocation of women’s and girls’ rights, retaliation against dissidents and critics, and the Taliban’s curtailment of freedom of expression means a decline towards authoritarianism,” she said at a meeting of the Human Rights Council.
Nasir Ahmed Andisha, the Afghan ambassador who represents the ousted government, went further by describing a “gender discrimination” in the country.
Several Afghan women addressed the same meeting, including rights activist Mahbouba Seraj, who urged the 47-member council to establish a mechanism to investigate violations.
“God only knows what atrocities were not reported,” said the woman, who filled the room full of UN diplomats in Geneva. “And I want this reported because it’s not true. World: It’s not true. Please, please, you have to do something about it.”
A year after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, young girls still can’t go to school and women should be covered from head to toe in a way that only their eyes are visible in public. Conservatives appear to dominate the Taliban-led government, which has imposed severe restrictions on access to education and jobs for girls and women, despite initial promises to the contrary.
Ilze Brands Kehris, deputy secretary general for human rights, said that so far, around 850 thousand girls are at risk of dropping out of school and facing the risk of child marriage and sexual economic exploitation.
On Saturday, in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province, Taliban officials closed five girls’ schools above the sixth grade, which were briefly opened on the advice of tribal elders and school principals.
Earlier this month, four girls’ schools in the provincial capital Gardez and a girls’ school in Samkani district began operating without official permission from the Taliban education ministry. On Saturday, all five schools closed once again by the authorities.
The UN has repeatedly called on the Taliban to ensure that international human rights are respected.
