KABUL: Four years have passed since the Taliban’s return to power, yet the restrictions on the lives of Afghan women and girls remain firmly in place. UN Women describes this as the world’s most severe crisis regarding women’s rights, which is gradually being accepted as the norm. Since August 2021, Afghan women have been deprived of their rights to education, work, and safe living conditions. All avenues for secondary and higher education have been closed to girls, and many public and non-governmental jobs are inaccessible to them. They face severe restrictions on their movement in public spaces. In a statement, UN Women emphasized that the normalization of this situation must be prevented: “Even after four years, no restrictions have been lifted. The rights of Afghan women and girls are systematically violated, and the world’s silence signifies the continuation of this crisis.” According to UN statistics, nearly 25 million Afghan women and girls are directly affected by these restrictions. The lack of education poses a serious threat to the future of an entire generation. Moreover, the healthcare sector has seen a decrease in female personnel, compromising the quality of services for female patients. The European Union, the United States, and numerous humanitarian organizations have repeatedly urged the Taliban leadership to end restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights to education and work, but little progress has been made. The United Nations has called on international governments and civil societies to raise their voices in support of Afghan women and to increase collective pressure for the restoration of their fundamental rights.
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