The Taliban is investigating death threats against scores of Afghan women working for the United Nations, according to a report released Sunday.
The latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan by the UN mission says dozens of female staff members faced immediate death threats in May.
The document notes that the threats came from unidentified individuals associated with their activities in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), as well as in other agencies, funds and programs, which “required the UN to take temporary measures to ensure their safety.”
The report mentions that the Taliban told the UN mission that their personnel were not responsible for these threats. The Interior Ministry is conducting its own investigation, as stated in the report.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Kani said there were no such threats.
“This is absolutely not true,” Mr Kani said. “There is a separate department in the ministry dealing with this issue and we have a strategic plan to ensure safety and security so they are not in danger and no one can intimidate them.”
Mr. Kani did not provide answers to questions regarding the investigation.
In December 2022, the Taliban banned Afghan women from working in local and international NGOs, and six months later the ban was extended to the UN, followed by threats to close agencies and groups where women still work.
Aid groups say the Taliban has obstructed or interfered with their work, but authorities deny the allegations.
The UN report is the first official confirmation of death threats against Afghan women working in the field. The report also looks at other issues that affect women's personal freedoms and safety.
In Herat, inspectors from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue began requiring women to wear the chador, a cloak that completely covers the head. Dozens of women found to be “non-compliant” were banned from markets and public transportation. Several were detained until their relatives brought them chadors, the report said.
In Uruzgan, women were arrested for wearing a headscarf – a hijab – instead of a burqa.
Women are also denied access to public spaces under laws banning their presence in such places. In Ghor province, police forced several families to leave a recreation area, warning them not to visit outdoor picnic areas with women.
In Herat
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
