Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – On International Women’s Day, the Taliban claimed that Afghan women’s rights are protected under their rule, despite widespread condemnation from the United Nations over ongoing bans on education, employment, and public participation for women and girls. In a statement on X, Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid asserted that Afghan women live in “security, both physically and psychologically,” and that their dignity and legal rights are a priority for the Islamic Emirate. However, he emphasized that these rights are defined within the framework of Islamic law and Afghan culture, which he said differ from Western norms.
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has barred girls from education beyond sixth grade, restricted women from most jobs, and enforced strict laws, including bans on women’s voices and uncovered faces in public. The UN has repeatedly called for the reversal of these policies, with Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, stating, “The erasure of women and girls from public life cannot be ignored.” Alison Davidian, special representative for UN Women Afghanistan, urged global solidarity, saying, “We must stand with Afghan women as if our own lives depend on it — because they do.”
The Taliban’s restrictions have left them isolated internationally, with no country recognizing their government. Meanwhile, a high-level UNESCO conference in Paris brought together Afghan women leaders and rights experts to discuss the crisis, drawing criticism from Taliban officials who accused such events of hypocrisy.
