The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk has condemned the tightening of oppressive restrictions in Afghanistan, particularly against women and girls, and called for renewed international pressure on the de facto authorities to meet their obligations under international law.
In a statement issued in Geneva on September 9th, 2026, Türk said the situation facing many Afghans was getting worse, with millions trapped in poverty, basic rights deteriorating and hundreds of thousands being returned against their will.
“As each month passes, the de facto authorities are tightening and enforcing oppressive measures. Yet, it seems the world has forgotten and abandoned the people of Afghanistan to a plight deepening by the day. The silence is deafening,” he said.
Türk pointed to severe restrictions on education, employment, freedom of movement and participation in public life, alongside strict dress rules and the complete exclusion of women from public decision-making. Fresh decrees issued this year make it more difficult for a woman to separate from a spouse and implicitly authorise child marriage and violence against women and children.
Since 2021, some 2.2 million Afghan girls and women have been denied secondary and higher education. A year ago, Afghan women, including UN staff, were also barred from entering United Nations premises across the country.
“This systematic exclusion of women and girls from public life is an unacceptable human rights violation that has become normalized and institutionalised,” Türk said.
He described the restrictions as amounting to gender apartheid.
The High Commissioner also cited arrests linked to dress codes, beard length and music, at least 449 cases of corporal punishment in the first half of the year, continued violations against former officials and security personnel, restrictions targeting religious minorities, and censorship of the media.
More than 400,000 Afghans have been forcibly returned, mainly from Iran and Pakistan, to a country where an estimated 21.9 million people need humanitarian assistance. Türk urged States to halt involuntary returns, restore aid and speak out for the equality and dignity of all Afghans.
