The Taliban released a message today, March 8, on International Women's Day, claiming that Afghan women live safely and that all their rights are protected, even though the UN has condemned bans on employment and education for women in the country.
After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, they banned education for women and girls beyond the sixth grade, most jobs, and many public spaces. Last August, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue passed laws banning women from speaking loudly and showing their faces outside the home.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement today, without mentioning International Women's Day, in which he said that the dignity, honor and legal rights of women are a priority for the Islamic Emirate. "Afghan women live in safety, both physically and mentally," he added.
Also today, the UN again called on the Taliban to lift restrictions on women. "The erasure of women and girls from public life cannot be ignored," said Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in Afghanistan.
Alison Davidian, the UN Special Representative for Women in Afghanistan, said the world cannot accept a future for Afghan women that would never be tolerated elsewhere.
"Our response to their erasure is a test of our commitment to women and girls everywhere," she said.
The Taliban remain isolated from the West and without international recognition as the country's official government due to their restrictions on women and girls.
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