Despite domestic and international pressures, the Taliban have continued their systematic discrimination and harassment of women and other citizens of the country. In addition to imposing educational, academic, and work restrictions, the group has persisted in arbitrary detentions, targeted killings, and systematic elimination of women and girls from social life in Afghanistan. Over the past month, the Taliban’s moral police, in collusion with the group’s intelligence forces, have arbitrarily detained and tortured dozens of women and girls, some of whom have resorted to suicide after their release. Meanwhile, women’s rights activists have expressed grave concerns over the situation of Maniza Siddiqi, a protester detained in Taliban prisons, demanding her release. Concurrently, the United Nations has reported on the investigation of Taliban killings and abuses against women and “ethnic and religious minorities.” Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also published reports indicating that the reduction in humanitarian aid and “Taliban atrocities” jeopardize the health and safety rights of women in Afghanistan.
Recently, the Taliban opened fire on a group of five individuals in a passenger vehicle in the Qasaba area of Kabul city. According to sources, the vehicle’s driver was named Ramish Nasiri, a prominent resident of Anaba district in Panjshir province.
It’s worth noting that the identities of the other four individuals have not yet been revealed. Still, the Taliban have handed over their bodies to their families after a day of custody and warned against media coverage. This comes after the Taliban previously shot three young men from Panjshir province during a checkpoint inspection in the Darulaman area of Kabul city.
Alongside targeting former military personnel and female protesters, the Taliban have turned life into a prison for women and girls in Afghanistan. They arbitrarily detain, torture, and imprison women and girls from specific areas of Kabul. In addition to the arbitrary detention of women and girls by the moral police and intelligence forces of the group, there are reports of street harassment and pursuit of girls by Taliban militants.
Sources in Kabul indicate that Taliban fighters are now targeting women under various pretexts to impose their demands. According to sources, this group, in addition to arbitrarily detaining girls, is also harassing women and girls in specific areas of Kabul, including the Dasht-e Barchi area.
A source from Kabul, who prefers to remain anonymous, has recounted several simultaneous incidents involving women with the Hasht-e Subh Daily. They claim, “The Taliban are targeting women and girls, imposing various demands on them. In one instance, a Taliban security guard at a certain location demanded a girl’s phone number and attempted to intimidate her with unusual gestures. In another case, a woman was requested by a Taliban security guard to become his friend. Yet another woman recounts an incident where a Taliban member struck her with snow, then ordered her to clean it up, and began pursuing her. She fled and sought refuge in one of the shops.”
At the same time, sources claim that the Taliban use white bags to cover the heads of abducted women and girls before taking them away. According to these sources, the group’s fighters apprehend women and girls in public, yet no one dares to intervene against this Taliban “lawlessness.”
Earlier, several girls released from Taliban captivity have resorted to suicide. Moreover, in Balkh province, fighters from this group have shot a girl and discarded her body by the roadside. The Taliban’s indiscriminate detentions have prompted numerous families to restrict their women and girls from venturing out due to security apprehensions.
Meanwhile, some women’s rights activists express concerns about the dire situation of Maniza Siddiqi, one of the protesting women held in Taliban custody at Pul-e-Charkhi prison. According to them, besides the deteriorating health and mental condition of Ms. Siddiqi, her mother’s situation is also critical and worrying. These women’s rights activists, numbering several, have demanded the release of Maniza Siddiqi on social media platforms. According to them, the Taliban have detained Maniza Siddiqi on charges of tearing a photo of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of this group, even though she has never committed such an act.
Some of these women, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, say that the Taliban have been holding Ms. Siddiqi for months without any reason, and now they have attributed other charges to her to impose heavier penalties on her without committing any crime. They state that the Taliban have asked Maniza Siddiqi to provide the address of a person who tore the supreme leader of this group’s photo, while she is unaware of this matter. One of these women’s rights activists says, “Manizha’s mother, traveling to and from Pul-e-Charkhi prison, has become mentally unstable due to her daughter’s dire physical and mental state. She spends nights and days crying beside the taxi stand on Pul-e-Charkhi Road.”
Simultaneously, the United Nations has strongly expressed concern over the Taliban’s arbitrary detentions of women and girls on the pretext of not observing the dress code specified by this group. The organization has stated that it is investigating Taliban abuses against women and girls. Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the United Nations, said at a press briefing in New York that the organization is concerned that the current repression may drive women and girls into greater isolation due to fear of arbitrary detention and may also expose them to oppressive actions by men even in their homes. The UN spokesperson added, “The UN team is investigating allegations of abuse and unlawful detention [of women and girls by the Taliban], and it appears that communities of religious and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by such repression by the Taliban.” He emphasized that UNAMA has raised the issue of arbitrary detentions of women with senior officials of this group and called for the immediate release of those detained by this group.
Mr. Dujarric stated, “Given the restrictions and initial infringement on their basic human rights and dignity, and the terrifying situation they [Afghan women and girls] are in, let’s help strengthen their voices.”
Earlier, experts from the United Nations Human Rights Council had described the arbitrary detention of women and girls by the Taliban as alarming. They urged the Taliban to stop mistreatment and arbitrary actions under the pretext of not observing hijab and to put an end to widespread and systematic discrimination.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also published a report stating that the reduction in aid and Taliban atrocities jeopardize the healthcare system in Afghanistan. According to this organization, Taliban restrictions on women and girls hinder access to healthcare and endanger their health rights.
The Human Rights Watch report states that the severe reduction in foreign aid has severely damaged Afghanistan’s healthcare system, exacerbated malnutrition, and definitively cut off the future of women’s education, leading to a shortage of female healthcare workers in the country.
Human Rights Watch emphasizes that the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment in humanitarian organizations have exacerbated the crisis and strict regulations on hijab and Mahram have hindered women’s travel and access to work and healthcare.
The Human Rights Watch report also addresses individuals with disabilities affected by the healthcare system crisis. According to the report, people with disabilities have largely disappeared due to the lack of assistance, including physical rehabilitation and mental support. The Taliban’s restrictive policies, according to the organization, further block access to services for women and girls with disabilities.
Meanwhile, Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, has attributed the healthcare system crisis in the country to the continued extremist policies of the Taliban. She added that Afghanistan is struggling with a shortage of doctors and medical supplies.
These concerns come as the United Nations will host a special meeting on Afghanistan in five days, with the attendance of representatives from specific countries involved in Afghanistan affairs, representatives from some civil organizations, women, and Taliban representatives. Holding this meeting faces a wave of concerns from Taliban opponents and some women’s protest movements. Nevertheless, some countries and political activists see this meeting as an opportunity to search for solutions to Afghanistan’s dilemma.