Suppression of Women in Afghanistan has intensified: HRW

Written By: Hakim Bigzaad

Human Rights Watch has said that the actions of the Taliban administration towards women until 2023 indicate that the suppression is deepening. This organization added that in addition to the long-standing deprivation of women of their fundamental rights such as the right to education, work, and assembly in public spaces, the recent suppression and detention of women have increased.

Human Rights Watch has emphasized that the detention of protesting women in 2023, including Julia Parsi and Neda Parwani, along with their family members, shows that the suppression of women is on the rise. According to this organization, there are also reports of the punishment of women in prisons.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban, had previously stated that these women are receiving orders from outside.

Meanwhile, a wave of arrests of young girls for “improper veiling” has recently begun in various parts of Kabul, including the western part of the city, which has provoked significant reactions from citizens and human rights activists.

Munisa Mobaraz, a women’s rights activist, says that the detention of young girls without a guardian is an illegal action carried out by the Taliban, and there is no justification for such actions by an “illegitimate” government.

It should be noted that the United Nations Deputy Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, in its recent report based on the detention of girls on charges of “improper veiling,” stated that they are investigating reports that claim money is demanded in exchange for the release of these girls.

Maryam, one of the girls in western Kabul, expresses concerns that the goal of these detentions is to create fear and terror among girls, forcing them into a sedentary lifestyle and the policies of the previous Taliban era.

Human Rights Watch continues to highlight the actions of the Taliban over the past two years, including the closure of women’s salons and the prohibition of their presence in public places like parks and travel without a guardian.

According to this organization, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of the United Nations in Afghanistan presented a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in June, detailing the widespread and systematic discrimination that women and girls in Afghanistan face, concluding that this is “gender-based sexual harassment and a framework of institutionalized gender apartheid.”

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