ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday expressed serious concern about the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, saying they have suffered greatly since the country was taken over by the Taliban in mid-August 2021.
The UN body claimed that Afghan girls and women have been deprived of their basic rights. “The human rights of Afghan women and girls are under attack and they need UN support and solidarity more than ever,” OCHA said, adding that 11.8 million women and girls needed help. emergency humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.

According to the UN office, humanitarian organizations should aim to scale up assistance to women and girls by providing food, healthcare, education, livelihoods and protection services.
OCHA’s tweet follows a gathering of around two dozen female activists in Kabul on Wednesday night who lit candles in a protest. The women said they stayed up all night and “lit candles for freedom”.
Reacting to the UN remarks, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that since the Islamic Emirate is in power, all the people enjoy their rights and that the UN report on women’s rights is based on “false information”.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, Taliban officials have promised to respect women’s rights to work and education within an ill-defined Islamic framework. But the government’s actions in recent months strongly suggest that the Islamic group has seriously restricted its movements and activities. They cannot go to work or travel without a male guardian. Under the Taliban regime, girls over the age of 12 were not allowed to attend school and women were expelled from many sectors of the labor force, including media and entertainment.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs of the previous government was abolished and its office was replaced by a Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Afghan women are not represented in the cabinet of the interim Taliban government.