The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recently expressed concern over the continued ban on the presence of women and girls in UN offices in Afghanistan.
In a statement published on its X account, the office said that 100 days have passed since women and female staff were barred from entering UN offices in the country, and it has called on the caretaker government to lift these restrictions.
The statement further reads: “Systematic discrimination against women and girls is not in Afghanistan’s interest and must end immediately.”
The United Nations emphasized that without the presence of women and girls, its vital assistance cannot reach all those in need, and that the current restrictions are having a negative impact on the delivery of services.
This ban is part of a broader policy by the current authorities to restrict the presence of women in national and international institutions.
Since taking power in Afghanistan, the current authorities have also deprived women and girls of education. In their most recent restriction, they closed the doors of medical institutes to girls and women, despite the fact that the health sector across Afghanistan is facing a severe shortage of personnel.
These actions by the current authorities have resulted in millions of female students being deprived of education.
In addition, women have been barred from going to sports clubs, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a mahram, working in domestic and international non-governmental organizations, and even from working in United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
