UN says Taliban divided on restoring women's rights post official visit

A delegation led by the highest-ranking woman at the United Nations urged the Taliban during a four-day visit to Afghanistan that ended Friday to reverse their crackdown on women and girls. Some Taliban officials were more open to restoring women's rights but others were clearly opposed, a UN spokesman said.

The UN team met with the Taliban in the capital of Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar. It did not release the names of any of the Taliban officials. The meetings focused on the restrictive measures the Taliban have imposed on women and girls since they took power in August 2021, during the final weeks of the US and NATO forces' pullout after 20 years of war.

The team, headed by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, found that some Taliban officials "have been cooperative and they've received some signs of progress," said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. "The key thing is to reconcile the (Taliban) officials that they've met who've been more helpful with those who have not."
"What we've seen in terms of basic rights for women and girls is a huge step backwards," Haq said. "We are trying to do more and we'll continue on that front."
In a statement, Mohammed said her message to the Taliban was very clear "these restrictions present Afghan women and girls with a future that confines them in their own homes, violating their rights and depriving the communities of their services."
"Afghan women left us no doubt of their courage and refusal to be erased from public life," Bahous, of UN Women, said in a statement. "They will continue to advocate and fight for their rights, and we are duty-bound to support them in doing so."
"What is happening in Afghanistan is a grave women's rights crisis and a wakeup call for the international community," she said, stressing that the Taliban restrictions and edicts show "how quickly decades of progress on women's rights can be reversed in a matter of days."