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	Afghanistan has become the world’s most severe women’s rights crisis by United Nations News, agencies   Aug. 2025   Four years after Taliban fighters retook the capital Kabul in Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, gender equality agency UN Women is warning that the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan is increasingly untenable. And without urgent action, this reality will become normalised and women and girls will be fully excluded.   “The Taliban is closer than ever to achieving its vision of a society that completely erases women from public life,” UN women said in a press release on Monday.   UN Women’s warning came just as the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released its latest report on the human rights situation between May and June, detailing harshening enforcement of regulations against women and death threats against female humanitarians.   The edicts which the Taliban have passed restricting women and girls’ rights interact together to create an inescapable cycle which relegates women to private spaces and increases their vulnerability. In most cases, including for humanitarian workers, women are not allowed to move freely in public without being accompanied by a mahram, or a male guardian.   In its report, UNAMA noted a change in the enforcement of mahram requirements, with the de facto Taliban authorities instructing private businesses and health clinics to refuse services to all women who were not accompanied by a mahram.   In certain regions, the authorities have also begun to strictly enforce hijab regulations, including by requiring women to wear a chador, a full body covering. In Herat, if they were not doing so, women are being banned from public spaces. In addition to impeding women's movements in public spaces, the Taliban has also banned women and girls from secondary and higher education.   Taken together, these two edicts have profound ramifications at all levels of society. Now, not only is it functionally impossible for women to receive educational degrees, it is also unduly difficult for them to get jobs and enter into training programmes. As a result, over 78 per cent of Afghan women are not in education, employment or training.   This means that almost half of the work force is not contributing to the economy in measurable ways, a huge problem for a country whose economy has been devastated by sanctions and climate shocks.   UNAMA’s report noted that the de facto authorities continue to affirm that Islam permits women to work – even as other edicts seem to discourage it.   But it’s not just the economy which is suffering. In some cases, these edicts can literally be a matter of life or death.   “The results are devastating. Women are living shorter, less healthy lives,” the UN agency said.   Take healthcare for instance. If women are not allowed to enter higher education, they cannot become doctors. And if women are banned from receiving treatment from male doctors – which they are in certain regions – they cannot expect to live healthy lives.   UN Women estimates that impediments to receiving healthcare for women in Afghanistan will increase maternal mortality by 50 per cent by 2026.   Child marriage is also becoming more common, and women are increasingly subjected to violence, inside and outside of their homes. In some cases, de facto authorities were the ones involved in or enforcing forced marriages.   It is not just in public that women’s voices are being excluded – 62 per cent of women feel that they cannot even influence decisions at home. This comes amidst a curtailing of expression rights more generally, with many private media outlets closing and social media accounts being monitored, according to the UNAMA report.   UN Women emphasises that despite having little to hope for, Afghan women remain resilient. They continue to look for moments of solidarity and hope for a different future.   In May, some women working for the UN were subjected to explicit death threats in relation to their work, but they continue to deliver lifesaving and life-building services.   One woman whose grassroots leadership organization lost all of its funding in 2022 continues to work to support women in smaller ways. “I will continue to stand strong as a woman, supporting other Afghan women. I go to remote areas and collect women’s stories, listen to their problems and this gives them hope. I try my best and that also gives me hope,” she said.   In total, since 2021, almost 100 edicts which restrict how women and girls move through society have been instituted and enforced. In four years, not a single one has been overturned.   UN Women’s representative in Afghanistan, said that this lack of progress must be understood beyond the Afghan context.   “This is not only about the rights – and futures – of Afghan women and girls. It’s about what we stand for as a global community. If we allow Afghan women and girls to be silenced, we send a message that the rights of women and girls everywhere are disposable. And that’s an immensely dangerous precedent.”   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165622 http://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/in-focus/afghanistan http://unama.unmissions.org/un-afghanistan-calls-lifting-restrictions-female-staff-accessing-un-premises http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1165823   Mar. 2025   As new school year starts in Afghanistan, almost 400,000 more girls deprived of their right to education, bringing total to 2.2 million.   Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the third anniversary of the ban on secondary education for girls in Afghanistan:   “As a new school year begins in Afghanistan, it marks three years since the start of the ban on girls' secondary education. This decision continues to harm the future of millions of Afghan girls. If this ban persists until 2030, over four million girls will have been deprived of their right to education beyond primary school.   “The consequences for these girls - and for Afghanistan - are catastrophic. The ban negatively impacts the health system, the economy, and the future of the nation. With fewer girls receiving an education, girls face a higher risk of child marriage with negative repercussions on their well-being and health.   “In addition, the country will experience a shortage of qualified female health workers. This will endanger lives. "With fewer female doctors and midwives, girls and women will not receive the medical treatment and support they need. We are estimating an additional 1,600 maternal deaths and over 3,500 infant deaths. These are not just numbers, they represent lives lost and families shattered.   “For over three years, the rights of girls in Afghanistan have been violated. All girls must be allowed to return to school now. If these capable, bright young girls continue to be denied an education, then the repercussions will last for generations. Afghanistan cannot leave half of its population behind.   “At UNICEF, we remain unwavering in our commitment to Afghan children – girls and boys. Despite the ban, we have provided access to education for 445,000 children through community-based learning—64 per cent of whom are girls. We are also empowering female teachers to ensure that girls have positive role models.   “We will continue to advocate for the right of every Afghan girl to receive an education, and we urge the de facto authorities to lift this ban immediately. Education is not just a fundamental right; it is the pathway to a healthier, more stable, and prosperous society.”   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/new-school-year-starts-afghanistan-almost-400000-more-girls-deprived-their-right http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/06/nearly-eight-out-of-10-young-afghan-women-are-excluded-from-education-jobs-and-training http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164476 http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165331   Dec. 2024   Afghanistan: Ban on women medical training must be repealed. (OHCHR)   The ban against women in Afghanistan attending classes at private medical institutions is yet another direct blow by the de facto authorities against Afghan women and girls. It is the latest in a long string of State-sponsored discriminatory measures targeting women and girls in the fields of education, work and others – hijacking the future of the country.   The measure is profoundly discriminatory, short-sighted and puts the lives of women and girls at risk in multiple ways. It removes the only remaining path for women and girls towards higher education and will decimate the already inadequate supply of female midwives, nurses and doctors.   This decision will limit women and girls’ already precarious access to healthcare, as male medical staff are prohibited from treating women unless a male relative is present. Afghanistan already has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. Women’s presence in the health sector is crucial.   All these measures, taken by men with absolute lack of transparency and without any involvement of those concerned, are clearly aimed at excluding women and girls from public life.   Afghanistan’s de facto authorities hold the effective power and responsibility for the welfare, security, and safety of the entire population.   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urges the de facto authorities to repeal this harmful directive. It is high time women and girls’ human rights are ensured, in line with Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations.   Samira Hamidi, an Afghan activist and campaigner for Amnesty International, said: “This is an outrageous act of ignorance by the Taliban, who continue to lead a war against women and girls in Afghanistan. This draconian action will have a devastating long-term impact on the lives of millions of Afghans, especially women and girls.   “In a country like Afghanistan, where people are bound to traditional and cultural practices, women in most parts of the country are not allowed to be checked or treated by a male doctor.   “With this ban, it will mean there will be no more midwives, nurses, female lab and medical personnel to serve female patients,” she said.   Heather Barr, at Human Rights Watch, said: “If you ban women from being treated by male healthcare professionals, and then you ban women from training to become healthcare professionals, the consequences are clear: women will not have access to healthcare and will die as a result.”   * Afghanistan already suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and there are deep concerns that that the ban would further erode women’s precarious access to healthcare.   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-executive-director-catherine-russell-reported-restrictions-Afghanistan http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/afghanistan-ban-women-medical-training-must-be-repealed http://www.msf.org/excluding-women-medical-institutes-threatens-future-healthcare-afghanistan http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/03/afghanistans-taliban-ban-medical-training-women   * UN WebTV: Interactive Dialogue with Afghan Women from inside Afghanistan and in Exile (Mar. 25): http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1k/k1kelped6e   * Today, 8 July 2025, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) has issued, in the context of the Situation of Afghanistan, warrants of arrest for Mr Haibatullah Akhundzada, Supreme Leader of the Taliban, and Mr Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Chief Justice of the Taliban, who have exercised de facto authority in Afghanistan at least from 15 August 2021.   The Chamber has found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Haibatullah Akhundzada and Mr Abdul Hakim Haqqani have committed by ordering, inducing or soliciting the crime against humanity of persecution, under article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute, on gender grounds against girls, women and other persons non-conforming with the Taliban’s policy on gender, gender identity or expression; and on political grounds against persons perceived as “allies of girls and women”. These crimes are believed to have been committed on the territory of Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power on 15 August 2021, and have continued until at least 20 January 2025.   Pre-Trial Chamber II considered that the Taliban have implemented a governmental policy that resulted in severe violations of fundamental rights and freedoms of the civilian population of Afghanistan, in connection with conducts of murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and enforced disappearance. While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms. Specifically, the Taliban severely deprived, through decrees and edicts, girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion.   In assessing the evidence before it, the Chamber has taken into account the object and purpose of Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute. This provision reflects the Statute’s broader aim to protect civilian populations from serious and systemic violations of fundamental rights, particularly those targeting vulnerable groups. In this context, the Chamber considered that the protection of victims of such crimes – especially women and girls who are often disproportionately affected by gender-based persecution – is central to the provision’s purpose. The Chamber found that gender persecution encompasses not only direct acts of violence, but also systemic and institutionalised forms of harm, including the imposition of discriminatory societal norms.   http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-afghanistan-icc-pre-trial-chamber-ii-issues-arrest-warrants-haibatullah-akhundzada http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/taliban-weaponising-justice-sector-entrench-gender-persecution-afghanistan http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5625-phenomenon-institutionalized-system-discrimination-segregation http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/gender-apartheid-must-be-recognised-crime-against-humanity-un-experts-say Visit the related web page
	Female genital mutilation is “one of the worst forms of violence against women” by UNFPA, UN Women, UNICEF, news agencies   11 Aug. 2025   Outrage as baby dies after genital mutilation in The Gambia, Thomas Naadi. (BBC News)   The death of a one-month-old baby girl who was the victim of female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia has sparked widespread outrage.   The baby was rushed to a hospital in the capital, Banjul, after she developed severe bleeding, but was pronounced dead on arrival, police said.   Although an autopsy is still being conducted to establish the cause of her death, many people have linked it to FGM, or female circumcision, a cultural practice outlawed in the West African state.   "Culture is no excuse, tradition is no shield, this is violence, pure and simple," a leading non-governmental organisation, Women In Leadership and Liberation (WILL), said in a statement.   Two women had been arrested for their alleged involvement in the baby's death, police said.   The MP for the Kombo North District where the incident happened emphasised the need to protect children from harmful practices that rob them of their health, dignity, and life.   "The loss of this innocent child must not be forgotten. Let it mark a turning-point and a moment for our nation to renew its unwavering commitment to protecting every child's right to life, safety, and dignity," Abdoulie Ceesay said.   FGM is the deliberate cutting or removal of a female's external genitalia.   The most frequently cited reasons for carrying it out are social acceptance, religious beliefs, misconceptions about hygiene, a means of preserving a girl or woman's virginity, making her "marriageable", and enhancing male sexual pleasure.   The Gambia is among the 10 countries with the highest rates of FGM, with 73% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having undergone the procedure, with many doing so before the age of six years.   WILL founder Fatou Baldeh told the BBC that there was an increase in FGM procedures being performed on babies in The Gambia.   "Parents feel that if they cut their girls when they're babies, they heal quicker, but also, because of the law, they feel that if they perform it at such a young age, it's much easier to disguise, so that people don't know," she said.   FGM has been outlawed in The Gambia since 2015, with fines and jail terms of up to three years for perpetrators, and life sentences if a girl dies as a result. However, there have only been two prosecutions and one conviction, in 2023.   A strong lobby group has emerged to demand the decriminalisation of FGM, but legislation aimed at repealing the ban was voted down in parliament last year.   FGM is banned in more than 70 countries globally but continues to be practised particularly in Africa's Muslim-majority countries, such as The Gambia.   http://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6200g5d4jlo   28 July 2025   President of Sierra Leone urged to ban FGM as court rules it tantamount to torture, by Sarah Johnson for Guardian News.   The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) court of justice has ordered the West African country to criminalise female genital mutilation after hearing the case of a woman brutally forced to undergo the practice.   As Kadijatu Balaima Allieu walked to a neighbour’s house in her village in Sierra Leone, she had no idea that what was about to happen would alter the course of her life for ever. It was a beautiful September morning in 2016 and Allieu, 28 at the time, had gone to resolve a dispute she had with another woman, who belonged to the Bondo society, an influential and secretive group of women.   Shortly after she arrived, she was forced into a room and the door locked. Her hands were tied. She was beaten, blindfolded and gagged. Then a woman sat on her chest while others forced her legs apart. She was forcibly subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM), the partial or total removal by cutting of the female genitalia.   “There was nothing left of me [to fight],” says Allieu. “Out of 100% energy, I was left with something like 1%. So they carried on with their operation.”   Nine years later, Allieu’s experience has led to a ruling against Sierra Leone by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) court of justice, which described FGM as “one of the worst forms of violence against women” which “meets the threshold for torture”.   The case, filed by Forum Against Harmful Practices (FAHP), We Are Purposeful, and Allieu, held the government liable for human rights violations due to its failure to criminalise FGM. The court ordered Sierra Leone “to enact and implement legislation criminalising female genital mutilation and to take appropriate measures toprohibit its occurrence and protect victims”.   Though the UN passed a resolution to ban FGM in 2012, it is still practised in about 30 countries. In Sierra Leone, a national survey in 2019 found that 83% of women had undergone FGM, with 71% of them subjected to the practice before the age of 15. There is no law explicitly criminalising the procedure, part of a traditional initiation ritual that marks a girl’s entry into womanhood, carried out by senior members of Bondo societies. Every year, women and children are left with health complications, and some die, as a result of such rituals.   When members of the Bondo society had finished mutilating Allieu, she was dragged to another room and left in a pool of blood for three days, until police found her and took her to hospital.   She had three operations to fix some of the damage that had been inflicted. After the third operation, Allieu remembers the doctor telling her “he had never seen this level of wickedness”.   Even so, a crowd, including Bondo society members, marched on the hospital, calling for Allieu to be handed over. The woman who had cut her was very influential and was angry that Allieu had escaped, with the help of the police. Unable to walk, Allieu was dragged by staff to the basement to hide.   “I felt like this was the end of the road,” says Allieu. “I was in so much pain, I was tired and had nothing left.”   Police and soldiers were called to protect the hospital and the crowd dispersed, but remaining in the hospital was impossible. One of Allieu’s neighbours worked for the UN and offered to drive her to the border with Liberia so she could leave the country. She made it to the other side and after 14 days arrived at a friend’s house.   Over the next five years, Allieu was helped by various people and organisations. She also met someone who offered to help after hearing her story, and paid for her to go abroad for surgery on her injuries.   After her trauma had subsided and she found out there had been a change of government, Allieu’s thoughts turned to her family, especially her son who was 10 when she left. She decided to return to Sierra Leone.   “People saw me, said I was dead and came to feel me to check I was alive,” she says. “When I saw my son and my family, it was good, I was happy.”   When word spread she was back, an activist got in touch and introduced her to Yasmin Jusu-sheriff, a human rights lawyer and former vice-chair of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, who was instrumental, among others, in bringing the case to Ecowas.   The ruling on 8 July comes at a critical time in the fight against FGM in Sierra Leone. A few weeks before, on 21 June, the president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, became chair of Ecowas, marking a historic moment as the first Sierra Leonean head of state to hold the position. He has yet to acknowledge the ruling publicly.   Meanwhile, celebrations at the passing of the Child Rights Act 2025 in Sierra Leone in early July were tempered when parliament issued a press release on 7 July stating that the act, which prohibits all forms of violence against children, including physical and mental abuse, “does not contain any provision imposing a fine, penalty, or punishment specifically addressing FGM”.   The act is awaiting presidential assent. But as there is no mention of banning FGM, Josephine Kamara, advocacy and communications manager at Purposeful, says: “If we can’t name a violent action for what it is, and boldly call it out, we cannot begin to end it.”   “Politically and internationally, the situation just does not look good,” says Jusu-sheriff. “Since the president is chairman of Ecowas, and in light of the Ecowas decision, let him send the act back to parliament and let them rethink it.”   She adds: “The matter is in his hands, and his hands alone. He holds the sword of Damocles over himself. This is the thing that will determine whether he will go down as the greatest, most human rights-loving president of all time, or not.”   Allieu, who is bringing a separate case in Sierra Leone against the woman who mutilated her, is due to be awarded $30,000 (£22,000) in compensation as part of the Ecowas ruling. She says she can’t find work because of the public stigma surrounding her case, but wants to use the money to further her education and become an activist.   “I really want the government to look into this, especially the sitting president with his power as head of state,” she says. “I want him to honour the ruling of the Ecowas court and [make it so] the Child Rights Act can help eradicate FGM.”   http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/28/the-matter-is-in-his-hands-alone-president-of-sierra-leone-urged-to-ban-fgm-as-court-rules-it-tantamount-to-torture   International day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation - UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF, agencies   There are few more extreme reflections of deeply entrenched discrimination against women and girls than female genital mutilation. It is deeply rooted in communities’ gender and social norms and cultural and religious traditions. There is no way to change such harmful practices without challenging these discriminatory norms head on.   The International day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is an opportunity to focus efforts and build upon successful interventions. These include investing in the education of girls and their mothers, health education and community dialogues with parents and traditional and religious leaders. Men and boys also have an important role in transforming social and gender norms to end female genital mutilation as key change agents in prevention initiatives.   Hard-won rights and freedoms of women and girls around the world are under threat. The impacts of health crises, climate change and ongoing conflict increase their vulnerability to harmful practices, while also undermining efforts that have been making important progress. This is not a time to step back from efforts to end FGM, but rather to redouble them.   Women and girls have a right to live free from all forms of violence, have decision-making power over what happens to their bodies and equal access to education, employment, and income-generating and leadership opportunities. These rights imply duties in everyone to respond and to do so with urgency.   This International Day is also an opportunity to recognize the role of women’s rights activists working on the front lines to protect and support many millions of women and girls. They are the ones making the difference. They deserve every support.   UN Women continues to work with women and girls to accelerate the abandonment of this harmful and often deadly practice.   We continue to engage in concerted activities with men and boys and traditional and religious leaders to build political will and reverse discriminatory laws; enforce existing laws and policies; support women’s economic empowerment and scale up evidence-driven prevention programming to create new norms that are survivor-centered, trauma-informed and emphasize accountability for ending FGM once and for all.   * Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a harmful traditional practice involving the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It can cause immense physical and psychological damage and is internationally recognized as a grave violation of women’s and girls’ human rights. It is estimated that some 200 million girls and women globally have undergone some form of female genital mutilation. The practice continues in communities worldwide, with Unicef warning 4.3 million girls are at risk of female genital mutilation this year.   http://www.unfpa.org/events/international-day-zero-tolerance-female-genital-mutilation http://www.unfpa.org/unfpa-unicef-joint-programme-elimination-female-genital-mutilation http://www.unfpa.org/stories/i-wanted-be-last-woman-earth-have-undergone-fgm http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2025/02/female-genital-mutilation-is-violence-against-women-and-girls http://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/faqs-on-female-genital-mutilation-causes-impact-and-how-to-end-it http://data.unicef.org/resources/female-genital-mutilation-a-global-concern-2024/ http://www.unicef.org/topics/fgm http://www.unfpa.org/press/putting-survivors-forefront-global-movement-end-female-genital-mutilation http://www.unfpa.org/female-genital-mutilation http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/world-will-miss-target-ending-fgm-2030-without-urgent-action-including-men-and-boys http://reliefweb.int/report/world/governments-asia-must-take-action-female-genital-mutilation Visit the related web page
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