Australia and UN Warn of Worst Situation for Afghan Women Under Taliban Rule
Australian officials and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women have warned that the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan under Taliban rule has reached the lowest and worst level globally. They emphasize that continued humanitarian aid is vital to prevent further deterioration.
On Wednesday, January 4, Christine Arab, the Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at UN Women, told Australian media that the Taliban administration, through successive decrees, has effectively excluded women and girls from social life and public spheres.
She stated that these restrictions include widespread deprivation of education, limitations on presence in public areas, closure of higher education institutions, and reduced access to essential services—actions that constitute clear violations of the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls with long-term social and humanitarian consequences.
Meanwhile, Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister, announced in January that Australia will allocate an additional 50 million Australian dollars in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan. This brings Australia’s total support since the fall of Kabul in 2021 to 310 million Australian dollars.
According to United Nations statistics, nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan urgently require humanitarian assistance. Taliban policies restricting access have created serious obstacles for citizens, especially women, in receiving vital aid and services.
Australia’s aid focuses primarily on supporting women and girls, healthcare services, food security, and the protection of dignity and human rights. Christine Arab emphasized that any humanitarian aid must explicitly and transparently center on supporting women and girls. She added that the multilateral system and the global community’s commitment to human rights are more important now than ever in the current Afghan context.
