UN Asks Taliban To End Gender Based Violence In Afghanistan

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 and ever since their rule over the land, women in the country have suffered the most in more ways than one. Afghanistan, which ranks number one globally regarding its high violence rate against women, has curbed, restricted and banned several of women's fundamental rights. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United Nations has asked the Taliban to take concrete steps and immediate steps to end violence against women in the country and give them their rights back with dignity.

The United Nations strictly instructed the Taliban to end all the gender-based violence that is taking place under their rule in Afghanistan to protect women’s rights and give them the space to live their lives without restrictions.

Suggested reading: We Wish To Work, Want Our Girls To Study: Afghan Women Protest Against Taliban Ban

Gender-Based Violence In Afghanistan

In an official press release, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated strict measures it will take if the Taliban does not adhere to the instructions given in order to end violence against women in the country.

Mentioning how the fundamental rights of women in Afghanistan need to be protected, the UN suggested concrete steps that the Taliban must take to create a safe space for its female citizens where they do not have to fear for their safety.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva said, "Protecting all the rights of women is a crucial factor if we talk about stability and prosperity in Afghanistan and that is exactly what will continue a long-standing peace mission,"

The UNAMA statement clearly indicates how violence also surfaces in the form of restrictions levied on women as they are deprived of the right to choose and live their life freely, which is a basic human philosophy.

The restrictions levied on women choosing their careers, participating in programmes, making public appearances and even going to gyms and amusement parks are contributing to a serious humanitarian and economic crisis in the country, a factor which also affects the rest of the world.

Restrictions On Women's Rights Denote Humanitarian Crisis

The UN mission stated that the Taliban uses different forms of violence against young girls and women to keep them under control and has been normalised in the country to such an extent that the government authorities hold absolutely no regret in doing so and therefore the culture of violence has only increased since the past one year.

It was only recently that the news of women being banned from amusement parks and gyms in Afghanistan got viral as women began protesting against the vague restrictions on them.

Not just public appearances, women have been facing a mountain f struggle in order to use their education qualifications to land a job and work for their own benefit. The systematic approach of erasing women from public life hasn't been a new phenomenon practised by the Taliban but to be able to do that in this day and age is shocking and takes the country back by several decades.

The UN Women representative in Afghanistan  Alison Davidian mentioned in the release that empowering women will only happen when they are no more subjected to violence and initiatives taken by several agencies like the UN will only be successful if the primary authorities of countries adhere to norms listed by the UN. "We will have to renew our efforts and work harder towards the protection of girls and women in Afghanistan and their empowerment."