Taliban Decrees Shortening Afghan Women’s Lives, Says UN
Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan women are living shorter and less healthy lives as a result of the group’s restrictive decrees, the United Nations said on Monday.
Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghan women are living shorter and less healthy lives as a result of the group’s restrictive decrees, the United Nations said on Monday.
In a statement issued on 11 August, the UN said the Taliban have introduced a series of measures limiting the rights of women and girls, with “devastating” consequences. It reported that more than 78 percent of Afghan women are neither in education nor employed, making it increasingly difficult for them to find work.
The UN warned that this exclusion means nearly half of Afghanistan’s potential workforce is making no significant contribution to the economy, compounding the crisis in a country already facing economic collapse.
Due to women’s restricted access to healthcare, maternal mortality is projected to rise by 50 percent by 2026, the UN said, attributing the increase largely to the Taliban’s discriminatory policies.
It also reported an increase in child marriage and growing levels of violence against women, both at home and in public.
Afghan women have not only been excluded from public life but, according to the UN, 62 percent say they have no role in decision-making even within their own households.
