In recent months, the Taliban have imposed a series of restrictions on civil society, most of which are aimed at subordinating women to their strict notions of Islam.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on the Taliban to “quickly abandon policies and practices that currently restrict the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Afghan women and youth,” in a unanimous declaration.
In this text, submitted by Norway and discussed almost two weeks ago, the 15 members of the Council stated that they were “deeply concerned about the growing violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban.”
In this sense, they refer to “the imposition of restrictions that limit access to education, employment, freedom of movement and women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in public life.”
The Security Council specifically urges the Taliban government to immediately reopen schools for all female students and expresses “deep concern” that women are forced to cover their faces in public places and on television.
Negotiations on the declaration were difficult, diplomats said, as China and Russia were opposed to a human rights text. As a result, several paragraphs also express “deep concern” about the “unstable situation” in Afghanistan in the humanitarian, political, economic, social and security fields.
The statement specifically mentions drug trafficking and ongoing terrorist attacks against civilians, as well as the need to rebuild the country’s financial and banking systems.
In mid-March, the UN Security Council passed a resolution extending the organization’s political mission in Afghanistan by a year, expecting a more moderate attitude from the Taliban, who have been in power since mid-August, compared to their last government, between 1996 and 2001.
In recent months, the Taliban have imposed a series of restrictions on civil society, most of which are aimed at subordinating women to their strict notions of Islam.
