UN Expert Warns of “Gender Apartheid” as Taliban Deepens Repression in Afghanistan

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has delivered a stark warning to the international community, describing the conditions in the country as "the most extreme and systematic assault on gender equality of our time." Presenting his report to the UN General Assembly, Bennett urged urgent, coordinated, and sustained global action to dismantle what he termed the Taliban's "institutionalised system of gender persecution."

A Nation Entrenched in Gender Apartheid

Bennett's report painted a devastating picture of the situation under the Taliban, detailing the regime's continued erosion of women's rights and its establishment of a governance structure rooted in systemic discrimination. "The severity of the situation cannot be overstated," Bennett declared. "Dismantling the Taliban's institutionalised system of gender persecution demands urgent, principled and sustained international attention – not normalization of the de facto authorities."

Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed a sweeping series of restrictions on women and girls — banning them from secondary and higher education, barring them from most forms of employment, and tightly controlling their movement, dress, and participation in public life. Women are prohibited from entering parks, gyms, and public spaces without a male guardian, and the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice enforces these edicts through intimidation and punishment.

Bennett noted that these restrictions amount to gender apartheid, a term increasingly used by human rights advocates to describe the Taliban's policy of segregation and oppression. "Afghanistan's women and girls are being systematically erased from public life," he said. "This is not cultural conservatism—it is persecution on a mass scale."

Deepening Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis

Beyond gender persecution, Bennett highlighted a broader collapse of civil and political freedoms in Afghanistan. His report cited a surge in corporal punishments, including public floggings and executions; disappearances and arbitrary detentions of former government employees; and escalating threats to journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society groups. The country's once-vibrant media landscape has been virtually silenced, with dozens of outlets shut down or driven into exile.

Amid these abuses, Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. Over 23 million people—more than half the population—now rely on humanitarian aid for survival. Bennett warned that funding cuts by international donors are "stripping away the last lines of protection and support for a population already in peril."

He appealed to the global community to recommit to long-term and sustained funding, especially for Afghan and women-led organisations that have managed to deliver aid under increasingly restrictive conditions. "Cuts to humanitarian and human rights funding," he said, "are not acts of neutrality—they are acts of abandonment."

Suppression of Women Humanitarians and Minority Rights

The Taliban's ban on women humanitarian workers, including national UN staff, has compounded the crisis. The Special Rapporteur condemned the restriction as "unprecedented and unconscionable," noting that it undermines both aid delivery and the safety of women in need. Without female staff, many aid agencies have been forced to halt operations in sectors such as health, education, and gender protection.

Bennett also warned of growing ethnic and religious discrimination, particularly against Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek minorities. The Taliban's disregard for minority grievances, he said, risks "fuelling tensions that could destabilize the country further." He called for inclusive governance and greater representation of marginalized communities in shaping Afghanistan's future.

Regional and Global Implications

The report drew attention to the mass deportations of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Iran, and deportations from parts of Europe. Bennett reminded states of their obligations under international law to uphold the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to a country where they face persecution or torture. "Forcibly returning Afghans to this environment of terror and repression is indefensible," he said.

He further warned that the Taliban's rigid ideology and systemic repression could have long-term regional and global consequences. "What is happening in Afghanistan today will not be contained within its borders," Bennett cautioned. "The consequences of inaction—radicalization, instability, and suffering—will be felt more widely."

Hope in Accountability and Global Justice

Despite the grim reality, Bennett urged the international community not to view Afghanistan as a lost cause. He emphasized recent steps toward international accountability, including the International Criminal Court's issuance of arrest warrants, the establishment of an Independent Investigative Mechanism for Afghanistan, and emerging efforts to codify gender apartheid under the proposed treaty on crimes against humanity.

"These developments demonstrate that justice for Afghans is possible," Bennett said. "Turning away now would not only betray the Afghan people—it would undermine the foundations of our shared international system."

He called for states to maintain pressure on the Taliban regime through targeted sanctions, travel bans, and diplomatic isolation, while simultaneously supporting Afghan civil society groups and documenting ongoing abuses for future prosecutions.

A Plea for Global Resolve

In his concluding remarks, Bennett reaffirmed that the struggle for Afghan women's rights is a global test of human rights principles. "Afghanistan today stands as the most extreme and systematic assault on gender equality of our time," he said. "If the world allows the erasure of women and girls here, it risks normalizing the destruction of women's rights everywhere."

The Special Rapporteur urged the United Nations and its Member States to act with unity and determination to confront what he called "a moral and legal crisis of our era."

"Silence," Bennett warned, "is complicity."