Key Takeaways
- Human Rights Watch urges countries to set clear human rights benchmarks before engaging with the Taliban.
- UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett highlights the Taliban's discrimination against Afghan children and young people.
- Taliban policies are depriving children of education and freedom, warns UN report.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a stern warning to countries considering normalising ties with the Taliban, urging them to establish clear and measurable human rights benchmarks before engaging. The organisation stated this in a statement to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
In a related development, Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, released a new report detailing the impact of Taliban policies on children. Bennett's report highlights the Taliban's institutionalised system of discrimination, repression, and ideological control, which is depriving Afghan children of their rights to inclusive and quality education, freedom of expression, and meaningful participation in social and public life.
Bennett expressed particular concern over the continued denial of education beyond the sixth grade to girls and the growing exposure of children and young people to gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, child labour, and ideological indoctrination. He stated, 'Afghanistan’s children are growing up in an environment where discrimination, especially against girls and women, is being normalised; they are denied the right to learn and their opportunities for the future are dramatically shrinking.'
The report also noted that these abuses are taking place against a backdrop of decades of conflict, poverty, and unmet humanitarian needs. By dismantling or weakening institutions that previously protected children's rights, the Taliban have exposed Afghan children to greater risks of violence, abuse, and exploitation, according to Bennett.
Children living in poverty or remote areas, those with disabilities, members of marginalised religious and ethnic communities, and displaced children or those returning from abroad are among the most vulnerable, the report warned. Bennett further cautioned that restrictions on media, culture, and freedom of expression are limiting the diversity of ideas and experiences available to Afghan children.
These restrictions, combined with limited educational opportunities, are contributing to a growing sense of despair among children, which could create future security concerns and a migration crisis, Bennett warned. However, he also noted the resilience and determination of Afghan children to support their families and communities and pursue alternative forms of learning.
HRW's statement to the UN Human Rights Council urged states to recognise gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and support International Criminal Court (ICC) efforts to prosecute those responsible for gender persecution and other grave international crimes in Afghanistan. The organisation stated, 'Countries should not normalise engagement with the Taliban without clear and measurable human rights benchmarks.'
The report's findings underscore the urgent need for the Taliban to end discriminatory policies, restore comprehensive education for girls, strengthen child protection and justice systems, and prevent child and forced marriage, according to Bennett.
Countries should not normalise engagement with the Taliban without clear and measurable human rights benchmarks.
HRW, Human Rights Watch
Afghanistan’s children are growing up in an environment where discrimination, especially against girls and women, is being normalised; they are denied the right to learn and their opportunities for the future are dramatically shrinking.
Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan
