The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have intensified their restrictions on women and girls in recent months, as per a report released by the United Nations on July 17. The report highlights a range of measures implemented by the Taliban, targeting education, employment, and the overall freedom of Afghan women and girls.
One of the alarming developments noted in the report is the Taliban's Ministry of Public Health's announcement that only males will be allowed to pursue specialized medical studies, effectively banning female students from taking exams in this field. This decision follows the earlier ban on female medical students from participating in graduation exams, which was announced in February. Additionally, women were prohibited from attending universities since December of the previous year.
The UN report documents instances where the Taliban enforced existing limitations on women's freedom of movement and employment. In one case, two Afghan female staff members of an international non-governmental organization were arrested at an airport by Taliban forces because they were traveling without a male companion. In another incident, a midwife was detained and interrogated for five hours by the Taliban's intelligence service, which even threatened her with death if she continued her work with an NGO. She eventually resigned as a result of the intimidation.
Furthermore, the report reveals that two non-governmental organizations had their licenses suspended due to the presence of female employees in their offices, as dictated by the Taliban's de facto Department of Economy.
The UN report also highlights incidents of physical violence against women, including an episode where members of the Taliban's vice and virtue department assaulted a woman with a stick and forced her to leave a public park.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule compared to their previous regime in the 1990s, the Taliban have consistently imposed strict measures since regaining control of Afghanistan in August 2021, coinciding with the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. They have severely limited women's participation in public life and work, cracked down on media freedoms, banned girls from pursuing education beyond the sixth grade, and prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was later extended to include employees of the United Nations.
These regressive measures have generated widespread international condemnation, further isolating the country at a time when its economy is in a state of collapse and exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
During their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban employed public corporal punishment and executions as methods of imposing their authority. Public executions have resurfaced under their current regime, with the latest known execution being carried out in June when a man convicted of murdering five people was publicly executed in Kabul.
The UN report also reveals a shocking increase in public floggings, with 274 men, 58 women, and two boys subjected to this cruel form of punishment in the preceding six months.
As the Taliban continues to tighten its grip on power, concerns for the rights and safety of Afghan women and girls grow, with the international community expressing deep dismay at the deteriorating situation.
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