WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES – Several members of the UN Security Council have expressed concern about the Taliban’s newly enacted morality law, saying it exacerbates the already dire and “unacceptable” human rights situation in Afghanistan.
In a statement on Friday, September 6, representatives from 12 countries, including the US, UK, and Japan, said that the new law instills fear among Afghans and negatively impacts their lives in many areas.
Last month, the Taliban announced the ratification of a “Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,” which imposes significant constraints on civilians and includes arbitrary and potentially harsh enforcement measures.
The 35-article law enforces strict limitations on women, requiring them to cover their faces and bodies in public and prohibiting them from speaking out. This comes amid a broader pattern of draconian rules that have effectively excluded women and girls from public life.
The Taliban’s new law has drawn widespread outrage and criticism. UN experts have noted that it is similar to the draconian rules from the 1990s, indicating that the regime has not moderated its approach.
In their statement, UNSC member states condemned the Taliban’s systemic gender discrimination, calling for the urgent reversal of all policies that restrict the fundamental rights and freedoms of women and girls.
“The Taliban need to listen and respond to the voices of Afghan women and girls by respecting their rights to education and for women, to work as well as the freedoms of expression and movement,” the members of UNSC said.
“It is a prerequisite for a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan,” they added.
They said that Afghan citizens, particularly women and girls, have suffered for far too long and are losing hope for the future, which is “unacceptable.” They vowed to address their plight and continue to monitor the situation closely.
The 12 UNSC member states called on other countries and organizations to use their influence to compel the Taliban to urgently reverse policies and practices that violate international laws.
“Afghanistan’s obligations under international law must be fulfilled,” they emphasized.
The member states have criticized the Taliban’s decision to bar the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Richard Bennett, from accessing Afghanistan, calling it “disturbing” and emphasizing that he should be allowed to carry out his mandate.
The Taliban recently announced that they will not allow the UN Special Rapporteur to enter Afghanistan, accusing him of providing inaccurate information about the country to the UN and the international community.
Mr. Bennett was appointed to this role by the UN Human Rights Council in April 2022, with a mandate to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
Since then, in all his reports and briefings to the council, he has highlighted widespread human rights violations committed by the Taliban, warning the international community against normalizing relations with the regime until there is concrete evidence of an improved situation.
