UN Condemns Order Restricting Afghan Women from Work, Warns of Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

UN Women warns Taliban’s latest ban on Afghan women working in civil society deepens gender-based violence, restricts rights, and worsens humanitarian conditions.

UN Women Afghanistan strongly condemned Taliban Order No. 12, which bans women from working in national and international civil society organizations, calling it a serious violation of human rights.

Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, stated the order will further limit women’s and girls’ rights and expose them to greater risks of violence.

In a statement, Ferguson said the Decree No. 12, referred to the Taliban’s newly-enacted penal code, formally eliminates equality between men and women before the law and places husbands in a position of authority over their wives.

The decree, first communicated to courts in early January, formally removes gender equality before the law, placing husbands as the supreme authority over their wives and limiting women’s legal protections.

Under the order, men are only criminally liable for domestic violence if it causes visible physical injury; psychological, sexual, or other forms of abuse are not addressed.

Women must appear fully covered before a male judge and accompanied by a male guardian even if that guardian is the perpetrator, to lodge complaints, effectively denying justice.

Criticism of Taliban officials, policies, or interpretations of Sharia is criminalized, punishable by imprisonment or flogging, further restricting public discourse and women’s advocacy.

The ruling violates humanitarian principles, deprives women of dignity, security, freedom of movement, and public participation, and significantly increases vulnerability to abuse.

UN Women urged the Taliban to align laws and policies with Afghanistan’s international human rights commitments, ensuring access to justice and protection from discrimination and violence.

The organization emphasized that Afghan women have the right to live free from violence and discrimination, highlighting that respecting their rights is essential to the country’s social and humanitarian stability.

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