Taliban Authorities Tighten Restrictions, Fueling Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Afghanistan
Since seizing control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the Taliban authorities have further intensified their oppressive restrictions on women, girls, and the media, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian and human rights situation in the country, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
Over the past two years, the Taliban has systematically denied women and girls their fundamental rights to education, employment, freedom of movement, and assembly. Furthermore, they have imposed strict censorship on the media, limiting access to information, detaining journalists, and silencing critics.
This has resulted in Afghanistan experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises globally, with more than two-thirds of the population, or over 28 million people, in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. The United Nations reports that four million individuals, including 3.2 million children under the age of five, are suffering from acute malnourishment.
People in Afghanistan are enduring a nightmare of humanitarian and human rights abuses under Taliban rule, stated Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. The Taliban leadership must immediately renounce their oppressive rules and policies, while the international community must hold them accountable for the ongoing crises.
Alongside decades of conflict, extreme weather events, and widespread unemployment, the severe restrictions imposed on women and girls have been a primary cause of food insecurity in the country since the Taliban takeover. Many women have lost their jobs, and restrictions on women working for humanitarian organizations have been imposed, except in limited areas. Additionally, women and girls are being denied access to secondary and higher education.
On December 24, 2022, the Taliban announced a ban on women working with both local and international non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations, with few exceptions for health, nutrition, and education. This policy has severely impacted women’s livelihoods and made it difficult to ensure that women receive the necessary aid when they are not involved in the distribution and monitoring processes. Consequently, women and girls are disproportionately affected, facing greater obstacles in accessing food, healthcare, and housing.
The Taliban’s misogynistic policies flagrantly disregard the basic rights of women, remarked Abbasi. Their restrictions not only harm Afghan women who are activists and defenders of rights, but also regular women striving for a normal life.
Human Rights Watch urges donor countries to find ways to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis without perpetuating the Taliban’s repressive policies against women.
Taliban authorities have also severely restricted local media, including blocking international media outlets from broadcasting, leading to limited access to information within Afghanistan. Reporting any critical information from inside the country poses a risk of arbitrary arrest and detention.
Moreover, the Taliban security forces have executed arbitrary detentions, torture, and summary executions of former security officers, as well as members or supporters of armed resistance groups. Since the Taliban’s rise to power, the Islamic State of Khorasan Province, the Afghan affiliate of ISIS, has carried out numerous attacks on schools and mosques, particularly targeting the ethnic Hazara Shia community, which lacks adequate security protection and access to medical care and assistance.
Thousands of Afghans who fled the country remain in limbo in neighboring countries such as Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Turkey, many living in dire conditions. Governments engaged with Afghanistan have a responsibility to ensure that Afghans at risk of persecution or harm have access to legal and safe pathways. It is crucial for governments to fulfill their commitments and promptly resettle these vulnerable groups, emphasized Human Rights Watch.
The Taliban’s response to Afghanistan’s overwhelming humanitarian crisis has been to further suppress women’s rights and stifle dissent, Abbasi concluded. Governments engaging with the Taliban must press for an urgent reversal of their course and the restoration of fundamental rights for all Afghans, while simultaneously providing vital assistance to the Afghan population.
