Afghanistan: Some Female Afghan UN Workers Detained, Harassed by Taliban, Says UN

The United Nations said that some of its female Afghan workers have been detained and faced harassment and additional restrictions on their activities by the Taliban authorities. This comes as the Taliban expanded its restrictions on women aid workers to Afghan women working for the international body.

In a report published on Tuesday, the UN said that some of its female Afghan workers had been detained and harassed by the insurgent group since its leadership expanded the restrictions on women aid workers to women working for the UN. The UN added that the Taliban has sought to crack down on dissent, especially those who speak out on issues related to women’s rights.

“This is the most recent in a series of discriminatory – and unlawful – measures implemented by the de facto authorities with the goal of severely restricting women and girls’ participation in most areas of public and daily life in Afghanistan,” said the UN in the report.

The report cited the Taliban’s arrest of four women back in March for participating in a protest in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, demanding access to education and work. The report also cited the arrest of Matiullah Wesa, the head of Pen Path, the organization that advocated for the reopening of schools for girls since the Taliban shut down the schools shortly after retaking control of the country in 2021.

Other instances cited were the arrest of a women’s rights activist and her brother in the northern Takhar province. A number of civil society activists have been released and reportedly were not charged after spending an extended period of arbitrary detention by the Taliban’s intelligence service, according to the report.

Friday last week, the UN said its Afghan staff would continue to work remotely following the Taliban’s enforcement of the ban on women aid workers. The UN has around 3,300 Afghan employees, 400 of which are female, while 600 of its international workers are not affected by the ban. Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said there was no change in the UN’s “posture on the ground.”

Haq added that the UN was “working to come to decisions on appropriate working modalities.”

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