Since the Taliban came to power in 2021, women have been restricted from secondary and higher education, employment, and access to healthcare and public spaces, which has left them socially and economically marginalized.
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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has strongly condemned the Taliban government's new decree that legitimizes violence against women and children in Afghanistan.
Speaking at an interactive dialogue at the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, Turk described Afghanistan as a human rights graveyard.
Since the Taliban came to power in 2021, women have been barred from secondary and higher education, employment, and access to health services and public spaces. This has left them socially and economically marginalized.
Turk condemned a decree signed by the Taliban leader last month that expanded the practice of the death penalty and legalized corporal punishment, saying it would further undermine women's freedoms.
He stressed that these measures, by restricting women's movement, education, and employment, are a reminder of systemic oppression and extreme oppression and apartheid based on gender.
The High Commissioner expressed concern that the Taliban had banned Afghan women, including UN staff, from entering UN premises since September 2025, highlighting the extraordinary challenges faced by women in the media, public service and humanitarian work.
Public executions, restrictions on freedom of expression and a nationwide communication blockade, he said, have increased the risks for women and vulnerable groups.
Turkey called on the Taliban to repeal all discriminatory laws and decrees and allow the UN and its partners to operate freely, including ensuring unhindered access to education, health care, employment and public spaces for women and girls.
He also urged the authorities to ban the death penalty, end corporal punishment, stop arbitrary arrests and respect freedom of expression and the right to communicate for women journalists.
He said that the continued exclusion and oppression of women undermines Afghanistan's social cohesion and future development, and that the country's real development cannot take place without women's full participation in public and civic life.
He urged the international community to hold the Taliban accountable and ensure that its engagement with Afghanistan is centered on human rights.
