United Nations Report: New Year’s Day will be a day of mourning for Afghan girls and the world

Bayan News – In his quarterly report, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has highlighted the ongoing prohibitions on girls’ education in Afghanistan, warning that the start of the new year will be a day of mourning for girls and the world.

Today, Thursday (March 6th), the United Nations Assistance Mission in Kabul (UNAMA) released the Secretary-General’s quarterly report on Afghanistan. The report addresses various dimensions of the current situation in Afghanistan.

Guterres described the deprivation of women and girls in Afghanistan from education as deeply concerning, emphasizing that there is doubt and skepticism about an education system under the Taliban government that can effectively address the challenges hindering young people’s access to knowledge and essential skills.

In the report, the United Nations Secretary-General explicitly calls on the interim Taliban government to immediately lift the restrictions on girls’ education.

Ceasing public punishments

Guterres also notes in the report the recent actions by the Taliban regarding public punishments of individuals, stating that these punishments are contrary to Afghanistan’s commitments under the United Nations Convention against Torture and must be halted as soon as possible.

According to the United Nations Secretary-General, the continuation of the Taliban’s policies and actions that violate the rights of Afghan women and men is alarming.

So far, Taliban officials have not responded to this UNAMA report.

In recent days, in the provinces of Ghazni and Jawzjan, several individuals were publicly executed following court rulings, while others were publicly punished in some provinces.

These actions by the Taliban have sparked international reactions.