Afghan Women’s Rights Report Details Taliban Abuses, Urges Legal Action

According to the court, the pair were each sentenced to 39 lashes and one year and six months in prison by the Taliban’s primary court in Kabul’s Fourth District. The flogging was carried out in the courtyard of the court.

This marked the second flogging reported by the Taliban in a single day. Earlier in Sar-e Pol province, another individual was publicly flogged on charges of “trespassing and causing injury,” according to local officials.

The Taliban regularly issues statements on the implementation of corporal punishments. Last week alone, the group reported that at least 56 men and women had been flogged across Afghanistan for a range of alleged offences.

Over the past four years, international human rights organisations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to end the use of corporal punishment. However, the group continues to defend public floggings and executions as part of its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

According to a statement issued by the court, the individual was sentenced to 20 lashes, five months’ imprisonment, and ordered to pay 5,000 Afghanis in compensation for the victim’s medical treatment. The flogging was carried out in the presence of court officials, government employees, and local residents.

Separately, the Taliban’s primary counter-narcotics court in Kabul sentenced 25 individuals to public floggings on Saturday for charges related to drug trafficking and sales.

In the past week alone, the Taliban has publicly flogged at least 53 people across Afghanistan, including five women. The group describes such punishments as the enforcement of “Islamic Sharia orders,” despite international condemnation of corporal punishment and human rights violations.

Human rights organisations continue to raise concerns about the lack of fair trial standards, legal representation, and transparency in the Taliban’s judicial system.

The two individuals received 39 lashes each. The statement did not specify whether the punishment was carried out in public, as previous announcements from the Taliban have typically indicated.

The court noted that the sentence was executed following approval by the Taliban’s Supreme Court, referring to the accused as “criminals.”

Despite international condemnation from human rights organisations over the use of corporal punishment and torture, the Taliban continue to administer public floggings. The group claims such punishments are in accordance with “Islamic Sharia law.”

The Taliban’s use of public corporal punishment has drawn widespread criticism for violating international human rights norms, particularly in cases involving women.

The UN women report released today, described as the most comprehensive assessment of women’s empowerment and gender equality in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return to power, states that Afghan women have fallen significantly behind global human development standards.

Afghanistan faces a 76 percent gender inequality rate in key areas such as health, education, financial access, and participation in decision-making, placing it just above Yemen on the Global Gender Inequality Index.

The report finds that Afghan women are realising only 17 percent of their full potential in terms of access to opportunities and personal choice, compared to the global average of 60.7 percent.

“Afghanistan’s greatest resource is its women and girls. Their potential continues to be untapped, yet they persevere,” said Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. “Afghan women are supporting each other, running businesses, delivering humanitarian aid and speaking out against injustice.”

According to the index, 78 percent of young Afghan women are not in education, employment or training, while the secondary school completion rate for girls is expected to fall to zero due to ongoing bans on girls’ secondary and tertiary education, including medical training.

The report also highlights a deep gender disparity in the workforce. Only 24 percent of Afghan women participate in the job market, compared to 89 percent of men. The majority of women are engaged in unpaid domestic labour; 74 percent, versus only 3 percent of men.

Additionally, men are nearly three times more likely than women to have a bank account or use mobile money services.

Despite widespread restrictions, the report notes a significant rise in the number of unemployed Afghan women actively seeking work. By 2022, this figure had quadrupled compared to pre-Taliban levels.

UN Women also reported that there are currently no women in the Taliban’s cabinet or local administrative offices, underscoring the continued political exclusion of Afghan women.

Speaking during the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Türk highlighted growing concerns over the repression of Afghan women and girls, stating that their voices have been silenced and their presence restricted to within the home.

“The rights of women and girls in Afghanistan have been systematically erased from public life,” he said. “They are excluded from education, employment, and civic participation.”

Türk also warned of serious threats facing other vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and LGBTQ+ individuals. “Influential figures have openly mocked people with disabilities,” he noted. “LGBTIQ+ people continue to face legal restrictions, hate speech, and even violence.”

He further expressed concern that some countries have reduced funding for aid programmes in Afghanistan, despite worsening conditions on the ground.