UN human rights chief demands Taliban stop oppressing women and girls, 3 NGOs pull out

Jarryd Jaeger
The Post Millennial
Tue, 27 Dec 2022 00:01 UTC

On Tuesday, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk urged the Taliban to drop the numerous restrictions they've placed upon the women and girls of Afghanistan.

In addition to the many female-only limitations already enforced in Afghanistan, over the past week the Taliban has banned girls from secondary school, and women from attending university or working in Non-Governmental Organizations.

"No country can develop - indeed survive - socially and economically with half its population excluded," Türk said in a statement. "These unfathomable restrictions placed on women and girls will not only increase the suffering of all Afghans but, I fear, pose a risk beyond Afghanistan's borders."

Türk urged the Taliban "to ensure the respect and protection of the rights of all women and girls," which he said must include the ability "to be seen, to be heard and to participate in and contribute to all aspects of the social, political and economic life of the country, in line with Afghanistan's international obligations."

He suggested that the Taliban's latest decree will lead to "terrible consequences" not just for women but for all Afghan people.

"Banning women from working in NGOs," Türk explained, "will deprive them and their families of their incomes" and "significantly impair, if not destroy, the capacity of these NGOs to deliver the essential services on which so many vulnerable Afghans depend."

Türk went on to warn that if the Taliban continues their assault on the rights of women and girls, it will "impede the country's development," and potentially lead to an increase in gender-based violence.

Following Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban rapidly restricted the behavior, dress, and opportunities available to women and girls.

Females have been relegated to second-class citizens, forced to cover themselves from head to toe in burqas, and limited in what they can achieve in life.

Some organizations, however, have stepped in to provide education to women and girls and help them realize their full potential.

Comment: More from the Hill:

Three major international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) announced on Sunday that they are halting their work in Afghanistan following the Taliban's announcement that it is prohibiting women from working for these types of organizations.

Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International said in a joint release that they are demanding both men and women be allowed to continue participating in their "lifesaving assistance" in Afghanistan. They said they will suspend their programs there while they gain "clarity" on the announcement.

"We cannot effectively reach children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without our female staff," they said. "Without women driving our response, we would not have jointly reached millions of Afghans in need since August 2021."

The NGOs said the Taliban's decision will also affect thousands of jobs as the county is in the midst of an economic crisis.

The Taliban's decision came as it also announced women will not be allowed to attend universities in the country nor religious classes in mosques in the capital of Kabul.