A Human Rights Coalition Calls for Immediate Review of International Response to Human Rights Crisis in Afghanistan

The "Human Rights Coalition in Afghanistan," comprising nine human rights organizations, issued a statement on Thursday, August 25, marking the third anniversary of the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, calling for an "immediate review" of the international community's response to the "human rights crisis" in the country. The signatory organizations stated that the international response to the escalating human rights violations by the Taliban, particularly against women and girls, has become "increasingly ineffective and at times harmful." They noted that the Taliban government is openly violating Afghanistan's commitments to international laws, including those related to human rights, and this situation has had a "devastating impact." The statement emphasized that women and girls, who make up half of Afghanistan's population, are facing not only poverty but also widespread and systematic violence and violations of their fundamental rights, including freedom of movement, freedom of expression and assembly, participation in public life, and access to education and paid work. The signatories also wrote that the ban on education for girls above the sixth grade by the Taliban government for over a thousand days and the ban on women's university education for more than 500 days have made Afghanistan the only country in the world with such prohibitions for girls and women. The Human Rights Coalition in Afghanistan further stated that individuals who speak out against the Taliban's treatment of human rights defenders, especially women’s rights activists, protesters, and journalists, face arbitrary and indefinite detention, physical and sexual violence, torture, and other abuses, with their families also exposed to the consequences of these actions. The signatory organizations reported a rapid decline in aid and simultaneous severe interference by the Taliban in the activities of aid agencies in Afghanistan, adding that women, especially female heads of households, are significantly affected by this crisis due to the prohibitions and restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women's employment in various sectors, including as aid workers. They called on all countries worldwide to take immediate and effective actions to address the human rights catastrophe in Afghanistan. Among the organizations in the Human Rights Coalition in Afghanistan that signed the statement are Amnesty International, Freedom House, the International Federation for Human Rights, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch, the World Organization Against Torture, and the International Women's League for Peace and Freedom.