UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett criticized the ban preventing Afghan women from accessing United Nations offices, labeling it discriminatory and unjustifiable. Bennett, along with 27 other UN experts, highlighted that this restriction on Afghan women’s access to UN premises undermines women’s rights and their ability to work. The ongoing policy was condemned as an unjustifiable attack on women’s right to employment, impacting the delivery of crucial humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.
Bennett emphasized that excluding women from UN offices directly hampers aid distribution in Afghanistan, where female staff play a vital role in reaching women and children in need. The UN experts’ latest report denounced the continued exclusion of women from UN premises as a direct assault on fundamental rights, particularly the right to work. They stressed that there is no valid cultural, religious, or administrative rationale for this policy.
The UN and rights groups have been warning that restrictions on Afghan women and girls are exacerbating isolation, poverty, and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan. International officials have expressed concerns that such policies not only harm Afghan women but also jeopardize the country’s social and economic future. The Taliban’s restrictions on education, employment, travel, and public life for Afghan women have drawn widespread international criticism since 2021.
The new academic year in Afghanistan began without girls above sixth grade returning to classrooms for the fifth consecutive year, sparking calls for reopening schools for older girls. Despite the start of the academic year, girls remain barred from studying above sixth grade in schools and universities. UNICEF’s Regional Director for South Asia emphasized the importance of education for girls, stating that hope, dignity, and the future hinge on access to education.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged authorities to allow girls to study beyond sixth grade, warning that denying girls education and restricting women’s work could severely impact Afghanistan’s stability, progress, and self-reliance. The Taliban’s Education Ministry has enforced restrictions on girls’ education above sixth grade, limiting their academic and professional opportunities.
