The Taliban continue to suppress women’s rights, and are now denying health care to women unless they are accompanied by a male guardian, according to a new United Nations (UN) report.
The Taliban restrict Afghan women’s access to work, travel and health care if they are single or do not have a male guardian, according to a new UN report released Monday.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its latest report, covering October-December, that the Taliban said women could not move or travel a certain distance without a man related to her by blood or marriage.
In Paktia province in southeastern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Vices and Virtues has banned women without male guardians from accessing health facilities since December.
The UN report stated that three women were detained because they were without a male guardian. They were released only after their families signed a written guarantee that they would not repeat the act, according to a report published on Monday.
The Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the UN report was largely based on misunderstandings and therefore accused the mission of ignoring or criticizing Islamic law, or sharia.
With an Islamic government in power in Afghanistan, it must “fully implement all aspects of Sharia for both men and women,” Mujahid said in a statement.
The Taliban’s takeover made Afghans’ ability to afford food even worse. By March 2022, an estimated 95% of Afghans did not have enough to eat.
Gallup surveys conducted before the Taliban regained control showed Afghans had been struggling for years to afford food — and women more so than men since 2017. At the time of the Hologic survey in 2021, a record-high 86% of women and 76% of men said there were times when they could not afford food that they or their families needed. Women also disproportionately struggled more than men to afford shelter, according to Gallup.
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