The UN warned Afghanistan's Taliban authorities on Friday that their ban on education and work for women risks pushing the country further into poverty and international isolation.
The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, again called on the fundamentalist regime to lift the restrictions as the world marked International Women's Day to highlight the need to invest in women.
“It is heartbreaking to see the opposite happening in Afghanistan: deliberate and catastrophic disinvestment that causes enormous harm to women and girls, and only creates obstacles to sustainable peace and prosperity,” said Roza Otunbayeva.
Since taking back power in August 2021, the Taliban have banned girls from accessing high school and above education. These regulations have restricted women's freedom of movement outside the home and prohibited most women from working in the public and private sectors, including working for the UN and other aid groups.
The United Nations Development Program, or UNDP, reported on Thursday (7/3) that nearly 70 percent of Afghans do not have sufficient basic resources, and restrictions on women continue to hinder basic rights and economic progress. It is said that Afghanistan's economy has contracted by 27 percent, and unemployment has doubled since the Taliban took power.
“The biggest challenge is that there are still decisions that prohibit girls' education. Not being able to continue your education after sixth grade is a big stumbling block,” Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP director for Asia and the Pacific, told reporters in New York.
“Last year, no girls passed twelfth grade, so how can they advance from sixth grade to engineering colleges or universities that require medical fields?,” said Wignaraja, who recently returned from a visit to Afghanistan.
The ban on female aid workers has weakened aid activities in a country where the UN estimates more than 12 million women will need humanitarian assistance this year.
In a statement on Friday, UNAMA said it “is also concerned that the recent crackdown by de facto authorities for alleged non-compliance with the Islamic dress code will push women into greater isolation for fear of arbitrary arrest. ”
The UN calls the Taliban the de facto authority because no foreign government has officially recognized their rule in Kabul.
However, the euphemism has angered human rights groups and many women in Afghanistan, who strongly oppose granting legitimacy to the Taliban government until the government lifts all restrictions on women. (lt/uh)