Richard Bennett, the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, has recently stated that the de facto authorities must lift the restrictions imposed on female UN staff.
On Friday, September 12, Bennett posted a message on his X account, calling for the removal of restrictions against female UN employees at the “national level.”
He further emphasized: “Preventing women from accessing their workplaces or supporting vulnerable communities is yet another indication that the Taliban should not be normalized unless and until they change course.”
He added: “I strongly echo UNAMA and call on the current authorities to lift the restrictions imposed on female staff at the national level.”
The United Nations in Afghanistan has also issued a statement calling for the de facto authorities to lift the restrictions against female UN employees.
The UN stated that on September 7 this year, government forces barred female UN employees and contractors from entering the organization’s offices in Kabul.
UNAMA clarified that this restriction was later expanded to UN field offices across the country and enforced through written or verbal notices from the current authorities.
The UN added that government forces have been stationed at the entrances of UN offices in Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif to prevent female staff from entering UN facilities.
The organization said: “This is particularly concerning given the ongoing restrictions on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.”
The United Nations in Afghanistan noted that these restrictions violate international laws regarding the immunities and privileges of UN staff and stressed that efforts are underway to have them lifted as soon as possible.
Since taking power, the current authorities have also banned women and girls from education. In their latest restriction, they closed the doors of medical institutes to female students, despite the severe shortage of healthcare personnel in Afghanistan.
This action has deprived millions of schoolgirls of education.
In addition, women have been banned from going to gyms, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a male guardian, and working in both domestic and international NGOs, as well as in UN offices in Afghanistan.
