Women’s rights violations in Afghanistan: Call for a debate at the 50th UN Human Rights Council Session.

02-06-2022

Saskia Puck

Women’s Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence.

After the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan in late 2021, there have been a series of increasing human rights violations, especially against women. Women and children have been continuously deprived of their rights regarding non-discrimination, education, reproductive and sexual health, work etc. There have been further violations regarding freedom of speech and movement targeted at girls and women. The situation has continued to worsen over the last few weeks. Restrictions have been put in place that requires women and girls to consistently cover their face, with further limitations preventing movement outside of their home. Those who fight against it have been subject to home invasions, disappearance and threats. 

International efforts have been made to counteract these restrictions and human rights violations, yet they put women and girls in an increasingly unfortunate position. Scholar and activist Halima Kazem-Stojanovic stated, “They are caught between Taliban abuses and actions by the international community that are pushing Afghans further into desperation every day.” (“Afghanistan: Taliban Deprive Women of Livelihoods, Identity”, 2022). 

The 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council will take place from June 13th to July 8th. There have now been an increasing number of calls to add the human rights violations the Taliban is committing against women to the agenda. This call relies on General Assembly resolution 60/251, which requires the council to investigate violations of a systemic nature. While there will be statements made about general human rights violations occurring in Afghanistan, the calls urge the Council to elicit a focused debate on the violations against women and children specifically. This will hopefully result in a resolution to address these violations concretely.

Sources and Further Reading

Afghanistan: Taliban Deprive Women of Livelihoods, Identity. (2022, January 18). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/18/afghanistan-taliban-deprive-women-livelihoods-identity.

Call for Urgent Debate on the women’s rights crisis in Afghanistan at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council. (2022, June 1). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/01/call-urgent-debate-womens-rights-crisis-afghanistan-50th-session-un-human-rights.

HRC50: Call for Urgent Debate on women’s rights crisis in Afghanistan. (2022, June 1). Reliefweb. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/hrc50-call-urgent-debate-womens-rights-crisis-afghanistan.

Rights group call for urgent debate on women's rights crisis in Afghanistan. (2022, June 1). Ani News International. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/rights-group-call-for-urgent-debate-on-womens-rights-crisis-in-afghanistan20220601220916/.