Afghan Women Stripped of Basic Rights as Taliban Crackdown Intensifies
UNAMA reports forced conversions, public floggings, and systemic exclusion of women and girls
KABUL – Afghan women and girls continue to face an escalating human rights crisis under Taliban rule, as confirmed by a new UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) report. Since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, women have been denied education, jobs, healthcare, and basic freedom of movement, marking what rights groups are calling “gender apartheid.”
Barred from Public Life
Women across Afghanistan are now unable to access public services without a male guardian (mahram), are banned from working, and girls remain barred from schools beyond grade six. The Taliban has also shut down women-run beauty salons and closed women-led radio stations in multiple provinces.
In Kandahar, Taliban inspectors ordered shopkeepers to report and deny entry to unaccompanied women, and in one hospital, female patients were refused treatment without a male relative.
Forced Religious Conversions and Floggings
From January to February, at least 50 Ismaili men in Badakhshan were abducted and forced to convert to Sunni Islam under threats of violence.
During the same period, over 180 people, including women and girls, were publicly flogged for so-called “moral crimes” like adultery or same-sex relations — with Taliban officials in attendance.
Taliban Denial vs. Reality
Despite overwhelming documentation of abuses, Taliban officials maintain that they are protecting women’s rights within “Sharia law”. On March 8, International Women’s Day, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that all rights of women are being upheld “in accordance with Islamic and cultural frameworks.”
Call for Global Action
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqan for crimes against humanity — specifically gender-based persecution.
