RASC News Agency: The United Nations Human Rights Council has reported that women protesting against Taliban policies are being deprived of their peaceful rights and freedom of expression, facing punishment for their defiance. In its report for the 57th annual session, the council notes that the Taliban have continued to impose a series of restrictions on Afghanistani women and girls through various decrees.
According to the report, these restrictions have effectively eliminated women’s and girls’ opportunities for participation in public and political life. The UN Human Rights Council emphasizes that the control and restrictions imposed by the Taliban on Afghanistani women and girls are both extensive and systematic, amounting to what can be classified as “systematic gender-based harassment.”
The report highlights the severe limitations placed on women’s freedom of movement, noting that they are restricted from traveling beyond 78 kilometers unless accompanied by a male guardian (mahram). Employment opportunities for women have also been limited to specific sectors such as healthcare, primary education, airport security, detention centers, some production sectors, women-owned businesses, and certain peripheral administrative duties.
On March 20, 2024, despite the start of the new academic year in Afghanistan, Afghanistani girls remain barred from attending schools and universities due to the Taliban’s continued ban on female education. The report also points out the drastic reduction in the salaries of female government employees, which have been reduced to only 5,000 kabuli rupees.
