Afghanistan: Human Rights Watch accuses Taliban of intensifying freedom curbs

According to a recent study by Human Rights Watch, the Taliban has increased their efforts to repress human rights in Afghanistan, particularly those of women. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan said in this study that 2023 was a year marked by numerous war crimes and violations of human rights all around the world. She also noted hopeful indicators, suggesting that there might be an alternative course. She pleaded with the Taliban to honor their pledges on human rights. The research claims that the only nation in the world where women are officially prohibited from attending school is Afghanistan. According to the report, the Taliban has been enforcing more oppressive policies in 2023. These policies include quelling protests by women, arbitrarily detaining female activists, and the disappearance of some women after being detained. According to Human Rights Watch, many Afghan women have lost their means of subsistence as a result of the restriction on women working. According to a report by Khaama Press, it linked certain aspects of Afghanistan’s economic problems to the limitations imposed on women’s employment. Human Rights Watch highlighted the need for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, stating that the country’s almost two-thirds of the population are in need of it because of the country’s economic struggles. Human Rights Watch reported on the disappearance of Afghan security forces and former government officials, as well as on revenge killings. Human Rights Watch has also called attention to the ongoing repression of civil society, especially among Afghan women, the widespread censorship of Afghan media, and the imprisonment of Afghan journalists. Human Rights Watch claims that the main causes of Afghanistan’s rising poverty are the Taliban’s hold over the country, international sanctions, and several years of drought. According to Human Rights Watch, ISIS is still attacking civilians, mainly the Shia minority and the Hazara people. The Taliban has prohibited Afghani females from attending schools past the sixth grade for more than two years, and they have made no progress in reestablishing girls’ education in the nation. The Taliban have imposed limitations on women through a number of decrees since taking control of Afghanistan. In the nation ripped apart by conflict, women and girls lack access to public places, jobs, and even education. (With agency inputs)