UN: Taliban Imprisons Afghan Women for 'Protection' Against Gender-Based Violence

According to a United Nations report published on Thursday, December 14, Taliban officials are imprisoning Afghan women to 'protect' them from gender-based violence. Before the Taliban came to power in 2021, there were 23 women's support centers in Afghanistan where women victims of gender-based violence could seek refuge. The UN report states that none of these centers exist now. According to the Associated Press, Taliban officials told a UN aid delegation that there is no need for such shelters and that establishing them is a 'Western concept.' The report states that women are sent to prison if they do not have male relatives to stay with or if their male relatives are deemed 'unsafe.' Taliban officials have also asked the male relatives of these women to pledge and sign an oath in the presence of local elders that they will not harm them. The report indicates that women are imprisoned for 'protection,' similar to how prisons are used to house drug addicts and homeless individuals in Kabul. The Associated Press noted that none of the Taliban ministries responded to inquiries about where survivors of gender-based violence can seek help, what protective measures are available for women, and the conviction rates for offenders. Since the Taliban's takeover, Afghan women and girls have increasingly been confined to their homes. They are barred from education beyond the sixth grade and from using public spaces such as parks and most jobs. Women are required to have a 'male companion' for journeys over 72 kilometers and must adhere to Taliban dress codes for women. A few months ago, the Taliban ordered the closure of all women's beauty salons, which were among the few places women could go outside their homes or family environment. Afghanistan has been among the worst countries in the world for women for years. Millions of girls were denied education for cultural reasons and more before the Taliban's takeover. Child marriage, violence, and harassment of women have been widespread. Human rights groups have warned that the Taliban regime enables violence against women and girls and eliminates any legal protections for them. According to the UN report, women can no longer work in the judiciary or police force, are not allowed to work in areas dealing with gender-based violence crimes, and can only attend work if summoned by their male supervisors. Malala Yousafzai, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recently urged the international community to pay attention to the situation of women and girls in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and called for what she termed 'gender apartheid' to be criminalized under international law. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in its latest annual report states that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Taliban in Afghanistan violate individuals' freedom to wear clothing according to their religion or beliefs by enforcing mandatory hijab laws.