Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sunday found that the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan has caused the world’s most serious women’s rights crisis. The Taliban has been the governing body of Afghanistan for around three years after President Joe Biden withdrew the US military presence in Afghanistan.

HRW reported, “Afghanistan is the only country where girls are banned from education beyond the sixth grade.” It listed Taliban abuses such as its sex-based restriction of women’s movement, employment, education, healthcare access, and enjoyment of sports and parks. HRWalso remarked on the Taliban’s lack of protection for women from sex-based violence. The organization expressed, “The Taliban’s education bans guarantee future shortages of female health workers.”

According to a UN press release from February 2, the Taliban has detained women for “bad hijab.” The UN explains, “[T]he Taliban reportedly [claimed] that [the detained women] were wearing colourful and tight clothing,” violating the Taliban’s “proper hijab” rule from May 2022. It elaborated that the detained women were kept in overcrowded spaces under occasional violence and with access to only Watch one meal a day until male authorities from their communities guaranteed their enforcement of the “proper hijab” rule.

HRW Afghanistan researcher Fereshta Abbasi stated:

The third anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover is a grim reminder of Afghanistan’s human rights crisis, but it should also be a call for action[.] Governments engaging with the Taliban should consistently remind them that their abuses against women and girls and all Afghans violate Afghanistan’s obligations under international law. Donors should provide assistance aimed at reaching those most in need and crafting durable solutions to Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.