UN says Taliban imposes restrictions on single and unaccompanied Afghan women
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban is restricting Afghan women’s access to work, travel and health care if they are unmarried or without a male guardian, according to a United Nations report released on Monday.
In one incident, officials from the Ministry of Vice allegedly advised a woman to get married if she wanted to continue working at a medical facility, saying it was inappropriate for an unmarried woman to work.
Despite initially promising more moderate governance, the Taliban has banned women from most areas of public life and banned female students from sixth grade onwards as part of tough measures they imposed after taking power in 2021. School attendance was suspended.
It also closed hair salons, began enforcing dress codes, and arrested women who did not follow their interpretation of the hijab (Islamic headscarf). In May 2022, the Taliban issued a decree requiring women to only show their eyes and encouraging them to wear a burqa from head to toe. This is similar to the restrictions imposed during the previous Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.
Asked about Secretary-General António Guterres’ reaction to the latest ban, a UN spokesperson said: “Horrifying!” Stéphane Dujarric added: “You can’t even imagine having to live there.”
In its latest quarterly report covering October to December last year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said the Taliban were cracking down on Afghan women who were single or not accompanied by a male guardian (mahram). Ta.
Afghanistan has no formal law regarding male guardianship, but the Taliban says women cannot travel or travel certain distances unless they have a male relative by blood or marriage.
In October last year, three female health workers were detained for attempting to work without Maharam. He was released after his family signed a written guarantee that he would not repeat the act, the report said.
In Paktia province, the Vice-Ministry has banned women without mahrams from accessing health facilities since December. We visit medical facilities across the state to ensure compliance.
The ministry, which acts as the Taliban’s moral police, has also enforced the requirement for women to wear hijab and mahram through checkpoints and inspections when visiting public places, offices and educational institutions.
In December, ministry officials visited bus terminals in Kandahar province to check whether women were traveling long distances without mahrams and to ensure that women were not allowed to ride without mahrams, according to the United Nations. He reportedly instructed the bus driver.
Women have also been arrested for purchasing contraceptives, which are not officially banned by the Taliban.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, said the UN report was largely based on misconceptions and accused the mission of ignoring or criticizing Islamic law, or sharia.
With an Islamic regime in power in Afghanistan, Mujahid said in a statement that the country must “fully implement all aspects of sharia for both men and women.”
This means enforcing rules on the wearing of the hijab, male guardianship, and gender discrimination for women in education and employment, he said.
“If UNAMA criticizes these cases or considers explicitly Islamic judgments to be contrary to human rights, it is an affront to the beliefs of the people,” he said.