The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has dismissed a United Nations report on the harassment and abuse of women and girls returning to Afghanistan, calling it “far from reality, political, and irresponsible.”
Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the ministry, urged the UN to assess women’s issues “based on Islamic values and Afghanistan’s cultural sensitivities.”
In an audio statement released Saturday, Khyber claimed that women’s rights in Afghanistan are “protected under Islamic Sharia” and that Afghan women enjoy their Islamic and legal rights, with their dignity and security safeguarded.
He said the Taliban has taken steps to prevent forced marriages, ensure payment of dowries and inheritance, and curb harmful social practices. Khyber also called on the UN to focus on “the massacre of women and children in Palestine” if it is serious about defending women’s rights.
The remarks came two days after UN Women warned that Afghan women and girls returning from abroad face poverty, early marriage, harassment and abuse, urging immediate international action to protect them. The UN report also cited Afghanistan’s worsening economic crisis, climate challenges, and unprecedented restrictions on women and girls.
Earlier, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett accused the Taliban of weaponising the country’s legal and judicial system to oppress women and girls, describing the practice as “a crime against humanity.”
