A UN report reveals that the Taliban government in Afghanistan is imprisoning survivors of women abuse, justifying it as protection.
This action, denounced by the UN, is causing severe mental and physical harm to these survivors.
The Taliban’s severe repression of women’s rights in Afghanistan, among the strictest globally, is evident as state-sponsored women’s shelters have disappeared, further endangering women.
UNAMA highlights a surge in gender-based violence post-Taliban rule, aggravated by economic crises, confining women at home and exposing them to heightened domestic violence risks.
Previously, Afghanistan had 23 state-sponsored shelters, now nonexistent due to the Taliban‘s belief that women belong with male relatives.
They dismiss these shelters as a ‘Western concept’ and instead commit women to male family members, or if unavailable, imprison them under the guise of protection – a move criticized by UNAMA as an arbitrary deprivation of liberty and a threat to mental health.
Moreover, the Taliban’s handling of gender-based violence complaints lacks clarity and consistency, with no clear distinction between criminal and civil complaints.
The absence of women personnel discourages survivors from reporting, denying them redress and compensation for their grievances.
Despite previous efforts to advance women’s rights from 2001 to 2021, such progress has vanished since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The promises of allowing women to work and study have been largely reneged upon. Girls’ education is restricted to primary school, and women face limitations on various activities, such as attending school or university, visiting parks, and even dressing norms.
The Taliban’s stringent control continues to curtail women’s freedoms in Afghanistan.
Source-BBC
