Taliban leaders have contradicted their promises of women’s rights rights, according to a statement from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Monday.
The High Commissioner expressed concern over the increasing restrictions on women’s movement, stating that women are “progressively [being] excluded from the public sphere.” The mounting reports confirm that the Taliban are contradicting public promises and the recommendations set out in resolution S-31/1, to ensure women and girls have equal human rights to men and boys.
Nearly a month after the Taliban took over governance in Afghanistan, Bachelet has called this a “new and perilous stage.” Allegations include banning girls over 12 from attending school in some regions, women not being allowed outside without a male chaperone, and raids on former employees of US companies. While the Taliban Minister for Higher Education said on Sunday that women will be permitted to study in gender-segregated universities, messages from the Taliban have instructed women to stay in their homes.
Evidence of Taliban brutality continues after a UN statement on Friday condemning violence against protesters, reiterating Article 21, the right to peaceful protest. The UN also urged the international community on Monday to support the Flash Appeal in a growing humanitarian crisis, which hopes to ensure women and children will be allowed to continue to work or study despite increasing oppression in the country.