UN Secretary-General demands Taliban cancel ban on female staff

The United Nations has rejected a decision by the Taliban to ban Afghan women from working at the agency, calling it a violation of women’s rights.

The statement came after the UN mission in Afghanistan reported that its female staff were prevented from reporting to work in Nangarhar province.

The UN has already instructed all national staff, including men and women, not to report to the office until further notice.

The UN statement also mentioned that several national female personnel had already been subject to restrictions on their movements, harassment, intimidation and detention.

Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, the Taliban have implemented harsh measures since taking over the country in 2021 after two decades of war.

Accordingly, girls are banned from education beyond the sixth grade, and women are prevented from working, studying, travelling without a male companion, and visiting parks.

The ban on Afghan women working for the UN is the latest restriction to disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid.

While Afghan women were previously barred from working at national and international non-governmental organizations, it did not apply to the UN.

The Taliban’s imposition of restrictions in Afghanistan, such as prohibiting education and NGO activities, has received strong criticism from the international community.

However, despite the backlash, the Taliban has not indicated any willingness to change their stance, claiming that these bans are merely temporary measures taken because some women did not observe Islamic hijab or adhere to gender segregation rules.