The United Nations has announced that the human rights crisis in Afghanistan continues, with women and girls still being excluded from public life due to restrictions.
In a statement, the organization noted that girls above the sixth grade in Afghanistan are deprived of attending school, and for the second consecutive year, graduation exams in medical fields have been held in November without the presence of women.
The report states: “Women who do not adhere to the government-mandated hijab are denied access to public transportation, markets, and public services.”
Furthermore, it was mentioned that the current government has also barred female United Nations employees from entering the organization’s offices and facilities across the country.
The UN has reported that books written by women have been removed from the shelves of bookstores and libraries, including university libraries in some provinces, regardless of the subject, content, or nationality of the author.
Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, stated: “The current government has effectively criminalized the presence of women and girls in public life. A country cannot progress without the participation of women.”
Additionally, the UN has added that since August 2021, the current government has executed at least 12 individuals in public in Afghanistan, and corporal punishments are being carried out weekly in public. This organization has described flogging and executions as violations of the right to life.
According to this report, journalists and media personnel continue to face arbitrary detentions and imprisonment due to “disproportionate restrictions on their produced content.”
