Current:Home > FinanceTaliban imprisoning women for their own "protection from gender-based-violence," U.N. report says-LoTradeCoin
Taliban imprisoning women for their own "protection from gender-based-violence," U.N. report says
View Date:2024-12-24 00:39:35
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime has sent some women to prison to protect them from the threat of gender-based violence, a United Nations report released Thursday said. Taliban authorities told the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan that women who don't have a male relative to stay with, or whose male relatives are deemed a threat to their safety, have been sent to prison. It was unclear if the orders were based on court referrals.
"Some [Taliban] de facto officials stated that in instances where they had safety concerns for a survivor, she would be sent to the women's prison, for her protection, akin to how prisons have been used to accommodate drug addicts and homeless people in Kabul," the report states.
"The confinement of women in prison facilities, outside the enforcement of criminal law, and for the purpose of ensuring their protection from gender-based-violence, would amount to an arbitrary deprivation of liberty," the U.N. mission said, adding that "confining women who are already in a situation of vulnerability in a punitive environment would also likely have a negative impact on their mental and physical health, revictimization and put them at risk of discrimination and stigmatization upon release."
The report is a snapshot of legal and judicial responses by the Taliban to complaints of gender-based violence against women and girls from August 2021 until March 2023, including murders, honor killings and rapes.
"The report reveals a stark absence of a clear and coherent framework for justice in Afghanistan, significantly hindering the process of reporting and addressing gender-based violence," Sahar Wahedi, a tech startup CEO and women's rights activist, told CBS News. "This ambiguity, particularly with the Taliban's vague reference to 'Sharia law,' places an immense burden on women, making the act of reporting a dangerous risk due to uncertain outcomes and potential blame."
Since taking control of Afghanistan more than two years ago, the Taliban have severely limited the rights of women and girls through draconian policies barring them from schools, universities and many professions.
Girls are not allowed to attend school beyond the sixth grade, and women aren't permitted to travel outside their homes without male chaperones. A crackdown on freedom of expression and the hugely limited employment opportunities for Afghan women since the Taliban's retaking of power in the summer of 2021 have left them increasingly stuck behind closed doors, making them more vulnerable to gender-based violence, according to UNAMA.
In the two decades after the 2001 U.S-led invasion that toppled the previous Taliban regime, safe houses for vulnerable women and children opened in various provinces across the country, operated by non-governmental organizations, but they have been all shut down because the Taliban considers the shelters manifestations of Western society, the report said.
Chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told CBS News he was not aware of any incident or report of someone being imprisoned in the country without a crime being committed, and he said he would investigate the U.N. report.
The de-facto Taliban government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the U.N. it was dedicated to safeguarding the lives and property of all people.
"The handling of cases is based on Sharia law and there is no injustice committed against women," the ministry told the U.N. "If the severity of the case is high, there will be no mediation and the case is referred to the court."
However, many of the Taliban's directives regarding women and girls in Afghanistan lack a foundation in Sharia Law.
- In:
- Taliban
- Afghanistan
veryGood! (7)
Related
- How Kim Kardashian Navigates “Uncomfortable” Situations With Her 4 Kids
- Former Gambian interior minister on trial in Switzerland over alleged crimes against humanity
- 'The Bear' star Ayo Edebiri gives flustered, heartwarming speech: Watch the moment
- Keep Your Desk Clean & Organized with These Must-Have Finds
- Shel Talmy, produced hits by The Who, The Kinks and other 1960s British bands, dead at 87
- Michigan woman eyes retirement after winning over $925,000 from lottery game
- Vietnam’s VinFast to build a $2 billion EV plant in India as part of its global expansion
- White House wasn't notified of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization for several days
- Suspect arrested after deadly Tuskegee University homecoming shooting
- Florida Republicans vote on removing party chairman accused of rape as DeSantis pins hopes on Iowa
Ranking
- Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution
- Palestinians flee from central Gaza’s main hospital as fighting draws closer and aid groups withdraw
- Barack Obama and John Mulaney are among the winners at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
- Live updates | Fighting near central Gaza hospital prompts medics, patients and others to flee south
- Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback
- Blinken brings US push on post-war Gaza planning and stopping conflict to UAE and Saudi Arabia
- Stabbing leaves 1 dead at New York City migrant shelter; 2nd resident charged with murder
- New Jersey man pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Pennsylvania cold case
Recommendation
-
'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
-
Patrick J. Adams Reveals His Thoughts on a Suits Spinoff With Meghan Markle
-
NFL schedule today: Everything to know about football games on Jan. 7
-
Golden Globes 2024: Angela Bassett Reveals If She's Tired of Doing the Thing
-
We Can Tell You How to Get to Sesame Street—and Even More Secrets About the Beloved Show
-
The 2024 Golden Globe Awards' top showdowns to watch
-
Rams' Puka Nacua caps sensational rookie season with pair of receiving records
-
NFL schedule today: Everything to know about football games on Jan. 7