In recent months, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have implemented increasingly restrictive measures against women and girls, significantly impacting their access to education and employment, according to a report released by the United Nations on Monday.
The report, which covers developments in May and June, reveals that the Taliban's Ministry of Public Health has issued a decree allowing only males to take exams for specialized medical studies, according to AP. This decision follows previous bans on female medical students taking graduation exams, announced in February, and the prohibition of women attending universities, issued in December.
Instances of enforcing previously announced limitations on women's freedom of movement and employment have also been recorded by the UN. In early May, two Afghan female staff members of an international non-governmental organization were arrested by Taliban forces at an airport for traveling without a male companion, or mahram. Furthermore, in June, a midwife working for an NGO was detained and interrogated for five hours by the Taliban's intelligence service, who threatened her with death if she continued her work. As a result, she resigned from her position two days later.
The report further highlights the suspension of licenses for two non-governmental organizations by the Taliban's de facto Department of Economy due to the presence of female employees in their offices.
Incidents of physical violence against women have also been documented. The report mentions a specific incident where members of the Taliban's vice and virtue department beat a woman with a stick, forcing her to leave a public park.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule compared to their previous period in power during the 1990s, the Taliban has imposed increasingly harsh measures since seizing control of Afghanistan in August 2021, coinciding with the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. Women have been barred from participating in most areas of public life and work, while media freedoms have been curtailed.
The Taliban's restrictions on education have particularly affected girls, with a ban on continuing education beyond the sixth grade. Additionally, Afghan women have been prohibited from working at local and non-governmental organizations, and in April, the ban was extended to employees of the United Nations.
These regressive measures by the Taliban have sparked widespread international outrage, further isolating the country and exacerbating the existing humanitarian crisis.
During the Taliban's previous regime from 1996 to 2001, public corporal punishment and executions were routinely carried out in sports stadiums against individuals convicted of crimes. Disturbingly, the report mentions that the Taliban recently conducted what is believed to be their second public execution since returning to power. The first execution occurred in December, where a man convicted of murder was executed with an assault rifle in front of hundreds of spectators and top Taliban officials in Farah province. The second execution involved a man named Ajmal, found guilty of murdering five people last year, in the capital city of Kabul.
Public floggings have also escalated, with the UN report revealing that between December and May, 274 men, 58 women, and two boys were subjected to this brutal form of punishment.
