UN says Taliban curbs threaten future of Afghan children
The United Nations human rights office, citing a report by Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said Taliban policies have severely restricted the basic rights of Afghan children and placed their future at serious risk.
According to the office, children and adolescents in Afghanistan, especially girls, have been denied access to education, freedom of expression and participation in social life, and face discrimination. The UN added that these restrictions are not limited to education and have also affected children’s intellectual and social development.
The report said Afghan children, in addition to being deprived of education, also face threats including forced marriage, child marriage, child labour and gender-based violence. The UN stressed that the situation is even more difficult for children living in poverty, in remote areas, those with disabilities, or those belonging to marginalised ethnic and religious groups.
Richard Bennett warned that the Taliban administration’s restrictions on education, media, culture and freedom of expression have also limited the space for children’s intellectual growth. He said children need to be educated in an environment where they can think freely, express their views and imagine a different future for themselves, but many Afghan children are growing up in an atmosphere of fear, isolation and uncertainty.
Richard Bennett is the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on Afghanistan, and his reports address the human rights situation in the country. In recent years, educational and social restrictions on girls and women have become one of the main concerns of international bodies about Afghanistan.
