Normalising Taliban Rule Would Betray Afghan Women, UN Warns

A family runs across a dusty street in Herat, Afghanistan.

Governments moving to restore ties with the Taliban risk legitimising oppression and deepening Afghanistan’s crisis, an independent UN human rights expert cautioned on Thursday, calling for a principled approach that defends the rights of women and girls.

Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur monitoring human rights in Afghanistan — who serves independently under a Human Rights Council mandate and is not a UN staff member — told the General Assembly that the human rights situation in the country “continues to deteriorate with few grounds for optimism.”

He warned of intensifying gender persecution, a rise in corporal punishment, enforced disappearances, and attacks against former officials despite a declared amnesty.

There are also increasing restrictions on media freedom and civil society, along with discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, including forced evictions affecting Hazara communities.

Restrictions on women and girls continue

He noted that no Taliban edicts restricting women’s rights have been reversed.

“Many Afghan women are denied their right to work,” he said, pointing to recent moves preventing Afghan women working for the UN from entering UN compounds. “This is a serious breach of fundamental rights and the UN Charter’s principles of equality and non-discrimination.”

Mr Bennett also criticised the sharp reduction in humanitarian and civil society funding, which he said is removing “the last lines of protection” for a population already facing widespread deprivation. He urged governments to recommit to long-term, sustained support, particularly for Afghan and women-led organisations.

Protect refugees from harm

The Special Rapporteur further warned of the mass forced return of Afghan refugees, urging all States to respect the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face persecution or serious harm.

While the situation remains grave, Mr Bennett highlighted signs of progress in accountability. These include the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders and the Human Rights Council’s establishment of an independent investigative mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of serious crimes for future trials.

‘Not a lost cause’

“Afghanistan is not a lost cause,” Mr Bennett told delegates, stressing that accountability is an “essential part” of building a future rooted in justice, equality, and the rule of law.

“Turning away now would not only betray the Afghan people — it would undermine the foundations of our shared international system,” he said. He urged States to engage with Afghanistan “in a principled manner that avoids normalisation of Taliban rule until there are demonstrated, measurable, and independently verified improvements in the human rights situation — particularly for women and girls.”