Afghanistan: A United Nations (UN) report has stated that Afghan women working for the world body have faced detainment, harassment, and movement restrictions since being banned from their jobs by the Taliban.

In April 2023, the Taliban informed the UN that Afghan women employed with the UN mission were no longer allowed to report for work. The UN report noted that the Taliban authorities continue to suppress dissenting voices, especially those speaking up on issues related to women’s and girls’ rights.

“This is the most recent in a series of discriminatory and unlawful measures implemented by the de facto authorities with the goal of severely restricting women’s and girls’ participation in most areas of public and daily life in Afghanistan,” the UN stated in a report.

The UN report highlighted the arrests of several women, including four women who were detained in March for participating in a Kabul protest demanding access to education and work. It also mentioned the arrest of Matiullah Wesa, head of PenPath, a civil society organisation campaigning for the reopening of schools for girls, and a women’s rights activist and her brother in February in the northern province of Takhar.

The Taliban’s actions will severely impact Afghanistan’s prospects for prosperity, stability, and peace, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Previously, the Taliban had banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and restricted women from most aspects of public life and work. In December 2022, they prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organisations, a measure that did not yet apply to UN offices at the time.

WORLD ROUNDUP: Canada summons Chinese ambassador over alleged interference in politics