Taliban threatens UN female staff in Afghanistan, prompting remote work shift

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reported a serious escalation in threats against its female staff by Taliban members. According to sources in Kabul, armed Taliban forces have recently raided the homes of several women employed by various UN agencies, including UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

The women were reportedly harassed, filmed, and subjected to threats, while male family members were forced to sign documents pledging that the women would cease working. UN officials stated that these threats included direct warnings of death, not only to the female staff but also to their relatives, if they continued working.

In response, UNAMA has allowed all female employees to work from home until further notice, citing growing concerns over staff safety. This marks the most severe and explicit threat of violence against UN female personnel since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. While the group has long restricted women’s roles in public life, Kabul had not seen such direct intimidation tactics since late 2022.

Human rights groups and international observers are calling for urgent action to protect humanitarian workers, warning that silence from the global community may encourage further violations and threaten the delivery of critical aid services in Afghanistan.