A recent UN report has exposed explicit death threats made against dozens of Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan. These threats, which came from unidentified individuals, are directly related to their work with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and other agencies. According to the report, the threats have necessitated the implementation of interim measures to protect the safety of these women.
The Taliban has denied any involvement in the threats, stating that their cadres were not responsible. However, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani contradicted this, saying, “This is completely incorrect… The ministry has an independent department for this, and we have a strategic plan for protection and security so there is no threat to them in any area, nor can anyone threaten them, nor is there any threat to them.” Despite this assertion, Qani did not provide any information about an ongoing investigation into the threats.
The UN report highlights the severe restrictions imposed on women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Women have been barred from working at domestic and foreign nongovernmental organizations, and this ban was later extended to the UN. The Taliban has also enforced strict dress codes, with inspectors from the Vice and Virtue Ministry requiring women to wear a chador, a full-body cloak covering the head. Women who fail to comply with these requirements have faced arrest, including those who wear only the hijab.
Furthermore, women have been denied access to public areas, in line with laws banning them from such spaces. According to a UN report from August 2024, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has “deliberately deprived” at least 1.4 million girls of their right to education during its three years in power. This number has likely increased, with about 300,000 more girls missing out on school since UNESCO last carried out a count in April 2023. The report warns that “the future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy.”
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken action against the Taliban, issuing arrest warrants in July for two top leaders on charges of abuses against women and girls. ICC judges found “reasonable grounds” to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhunzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based persecution. The court noted that the Taliban has “severely deprived” girls and women of their rights to education, privacy, family life, and freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience, and religion.
The Taliban has rejected the ICC warrants as “baseless rhetoric,” claiming that the court lacks authority and has failed to protect women and children in other conflict zones, such as Gaza. Despite this, the international community continues to pressure the Taliban to respect women’s rights and freedoms.