UN says Taliban restrictions on women usher in "new period of crisis"

The United Nations diplomatic mission in Afghanistan says the war-torn country is entering a new period of crisis.

Afghanistan - The United Nations diplomatic mission in Afghanistan says the war-torn country is entering a new period of crisis.

A student named Marwa protests alone against the ban on women's higher education outside Kabul University as members of Taliban stand guard, on December 25, 2022.
A student named Marwa protests alone against the ban on women's higher education outside Kabul University as members of Taliban stand guard, on December 25, 2022.  © AFP

The warning comes weeks after the de facto Taliban government banned Afghan women from university education and work with the aid agencies, citing hijab issues.

On Saturday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that the bans will harm all Afghans.

Several aid agencies, including the UN, have already suspended their aid programs in protest at the Taliban's recent decisions.

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UN top envoy Markus Potzel recently met with the Taliban’s higher education minister, Mohammad Nadeem, calling for the urgent lifting of the bans.

Nadeem, who is considered to be a close aide of the Taliban's supreme leader, is a hardline cleric who is publicly defending the ban on women's education.

The Taliban have massively restricted women's rights since taking power in August 2021 and has refused to show any flexibility despite the international outcry. Girls and women are now largely excluded from public life.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is considered precarious. Since the Taliban returned to power last year amid the withdrawal of international troops, the economy has collapsed.

Cover photo: AFP

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