GENEVA: UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has condemned the restrictive measures imposed in Afghanistan, particularly those affecting women and girls, and urged the international community to increase pressure on the de facto authorities to adhere to international legal obligations. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Türk highlighted the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, emphasizing the severe restrictions on education, employment, and public life for women and girls.

Türk raised concerns over recent decrees that make it difficult for women to separate from spouses and implicitly permit child marriage and violence against women and children. He noted that 2.2 million Afghan girls and women have been denied access to secondary and higher education since 2021, describing the exclusion of women from public life as a form of gender apartheid.

The High Commissioner also addressed the ongoing human rights violations, including corporal punishment, arrests for dress code violations, and restrictions on religious minorities. The Afghan media faces censorship and restrictions, with journalists continuing to be arrested.

Despite these conditions, forced returns to Afghanistan persist. The UN’s refugee agency reports that over 400,000 Afghans have been forcibly returned, primarily from Iran and Pakistan. Türk expressed concern for those returning to a country plagued by poverty and lacking basic necessities.

Türk called on states to reconsider their actions and prioritize the welfare of the Afghan population, urging influential regional actors to advocate for equality and dignity for all Afghans.