Human Rights Activists: Human Rights Violations, Especially Women's Rights, Have Increased Since the Taliban's Return to Power

Global Issues reported on Friday (15 November), quoting Heather Barr, the deputy director of the women’s section at Human Rights Watch, that over the past three years, around 60,000 women have lost their jobs due to the restrictions imposed by the Taliban.

According to human rights activists, the Taliban's restrictions on women have intensified in recent months. Barr emphasized that human rights defenders continue to fight against the Taliban's policies.

Based on available information, over the past three years, cases of forced marriages and child marriages have sharply increased due to girls being deprived of education.

Henrietta Fore, the former UNICEF director, said in this regard: "Given that many adolescent girls are still not allowed to return to school, the risk of child marriage is now greater."

UNICEF findings indicate that 28% of Afghan women aged 15 to 49 have married in exchange for a dowry.

The report also stresses that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has worsened, and millions of Afghan women are facing gender-based discrimination.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), after the Taliban's restrictions on women's work, Afghanistan's income has decreased by more than 20%, and the country is now among the poorest in the world.

International organizations have also stated that nearly 2.5 million Afghan girls are deprived of access to education.

It should be noted that the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on women and girls over the past three years. The Taliban claim that they are committed to women's rights in accordance with "Islamic Sharia."

Meanwhile, last week, the British newspaper The Guardian reported, citing journalist Melissa Cornet and photographer Kiana Hayari, that some girls, after the Taliban banned their education, have been forced into work or marriage.