Women survivors of gender-based violence being jailed by Taliban: UN Report

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The Taliban regime in Afghanistan is sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, Khaama Press reported, citing the Office of the Deputy of the United Nations in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has stated that gender-based violence against women and girls existed in Afghanistan even before the dominance of the Taliban. However, with the advent of the new regime, the social life of women has been limited, and family violence against women, especially by their husbands, has increased.

The UNAMA office added that before the re-establishment of the Taliban, there were 23 shelters for the protection of women survivors of gender-based violence in the country, none of which are now active. The Taliban have also deemed protective shelters for women "safe houses" and declared them unnecessary.

The de facto Taliban regime has deemed protective shelters for women or 'safe houses' as originating from Western culture and declared their existence "unnecessary," Khaama Press reported. The officials of the Taliban administration have stated that they take commitments from caretakers of violence-affected women to not harm them.

The UN report also says that women are no longer working in the judiciary or law enforcement, and are not allowed to deal with crimes of gender-based violence. Women are only permitted to attend work when called upon by their male supervisors.

"In cases where women survivors of violence had no male relatives or there were safety concerns, they were sent to prisons; similar to addicts and the homeless," the report stated. Meanwhile, the 'Purple Saturday Movement', managed by a number of protesting women, has expressed concern in a statement regarding the realities reflected in this report, according to Khaama Press.

"Imprisoning women who are themselves victims of gender-based violence is not only against Islam and Sharia, but in reality, it is a horrific form of mental, emotional, and physical abuse of women that must be stopped immediately," the statement of the movement reads. UNAMA has further stated that since the Taliban came to power again on August 15, 2021, the handling of gender-based violence complaints has been unclear and inconsistent.

The Office of the Deputy of the United Nations has also emphasised that women who have experienced violence are now afraid of seeking official justice for fear of arrest, Khaama Press reported. More than two years have passed since the Taliban banned girls from studying beyond sixth grade in Afghanistan and there is no sign of reopening the schools to girls studying above sixth grade.

Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, they have issued several decrees that impose restrictions on women. Afghanistan's women have faced numerous challenges since the Taliban returned to power. Girls and women in the war-torn country have no access to education, employment and public spaces, Khaama Press reported.

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