Volker Türk: Afghan Women Face Relentless Erosion of Their Rights

On Friday (November 29), in a video message shared on X as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, Türk emphasized that Afghan women's freedom of movement, expression, education, and work has been severely restricted.

He described the Taliban's policies as "blatant oppression of half the population" and "self-inflicted harm on a national scale," calling on the group to immediately revoke their discriminatory policies.

These remarks come as Afghan women, under Taliban rule, have been stripped of their rights to education and work and subjected to severe restrictions.

Previously, Karen Decker, the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires for Afghanistan, also stressed that if the Taliban seek better relations with the rest of the world, they must first establish better relations with their own people—both women and men.