RASC News Agency: Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, recently stated that the human rights situation in the country is deteriorating, with gender-based violence against women on the rise. Bennett made these remarks during a roundtable at a Norwegian think tank, adding that the Taliban have increasingly carried out public executions and punishments.
According to Bennett, the Taliban are strictly enforcing laws related to their mandated dress codes, significantly impacting women and girls. In a discussion published by the Civita think tank on Tuesday, June 25, Bennett noted that Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world where girls are barred from education beyond the sixth grade and from attending university.
Bennett also pointed out that the severe restriction on women’s employment has made Afghanistan the only country where women are entirely prohibited from working. The UN Special Rapporteur highlighted that when the Taliban instructed female UN staff in Afghanistan to stay home and stop working, it was not only “shocking” but also a violation of the UN Charter. Bennett further asserted that the United Nations should have opposed the Taliban’s directive.
He noted that the ban on women’s employment extends to other international organizations in Afghanistan, with limited exceptions. Bennett characterized the Taliban’s gender policies as not only “gender apartheid” but also “crimes against humanity.” These comments come as the United Nations holds a meeting in Doha without the presence of women and excludes women’s rights from the agenda, a move that has sparked widespread criticism and calls for a boycott of the meeting.
