UN Experts Warn Against Normalising Taliban Rule as Afghan Rights Crisis Deepens

Afghanistan's human rights emergency is unfolding alongside severe hunger, drought, declining humanitarian funding and economic weakness.

Five years into Taliban rule in Afghanistan, UN human rights experts are warning governments that growing diplomatic engagement with the de facto authorities risks becoming normalisation while Afghans continue to face sweeping restrictions, economic hardship and an increasingly severe humanitarian crisis. The experts say any deeper engagement should depend on clear and measurable improvements in human rights, with the treatment of women and girls remaining a central test.

The consequences are especially stark for Afghan girls who have spent much of their adolescence outside secondary school. A girl who was in grade six when the restrictions began is now approaching adulthood without having been allowed to continue her formal education, turning what was initially viewed as a temporary interruption into a defining part of an entire generation's childhood.

A Generation of Girls Is Growing Up Without School

One Afghan girl quoted by the experts described the emotional weight of spending five years unable to continue her education, saying she feels trapped at the same point in life while the years continue to pass. Her experience reflects a wider reality in which girls are losing not only classroom education but also opportunities for university, professional careers, financial independence and participation in public life.

UN experts say the Taliban have further embedded gender-based repression during the past year, describing the deliberate denial of fundamental rights on the basis of gender as persecution that can amount to a crime against humanity. They also argue that the institutionalised system of discrimination, oppression and domination can be characterised as gender apartheid, and have called on States to support its recognition as a distinct crime against humanity.

New Rules Deepen Restrictions on Women

The experts highlighted decrees that they say expose women and girls to further harm, including criminal court rules that permit violence against women unless it causes broken bones or visible bruising. Another decree dealing with separation between spouses is said to make escaping abusive or forced marriages extremely difficult while implicitly permitting child marriage, with some of these rules also discriminating against religious minorities.

Punitive enforcement has intensified alongside these legal restrictions. According to the experts, more people were publicly flogged in 2025 than during all previous years of Taliban rule combined. Women have reportedly been denied hospital access because of their clothing or because they were not accompanied by a male guardian, placing basic healthcare beyond reach for some of those who need it.

In Herat in June 2026, at least 30 women and girls were jailed for alleged dress-code violations. Residents protested the arrests, and security forces opened fire, killing at least two people, including a boy, according to the experts.

Hunger and Forced Returns Add to the Crisis

Afghanistan's human rights emergency is unfolding alongside severe hunger, drought, declining humanitarian funding and economic weakness. More than 17 million Afghans, representing over a third of the population, faced acute food insecurity during the past winter, while nearly four million children were acutely malnourished.

The experts urged governments to restore humanitarian funding and ensure women are able to deliver as well as receive assistance, a critical issue in communities where restrictions on female workers can prevent vulnerable women from accessing essential services.

They also warned neighbouring countries against mass returns and forced deportations, stressing that Afghanistan cannot be considered safe for many returnees, particularly people facing heightened risks because of their ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

UN Experts Push for Accountability, Not Normalisation

Accountability must remain part of the international response, the experts said, calling for stronger support for the International Criminal Court and adequate resources for the newly mandated Independent Investigative Mechanism for Afghanistan.

Regional violence has added another layer of danger. Cross-border hostilities with Pakistan have reportedly killed around 500 civilians since October 2025, including 269 patients who died in airstrikes on a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre in March 2026. The experts called on Pakistan and the Taliban to protect civilians, exercise restraint and investigate possible war crimes and serious human rights violations.

Their message to governments was clear: accepting Taliban diplomats or hosting official meetings in foreign capitals should not become routine without verifiable progress on human rights. After five years of restrictions, violence and lost opportunities, they argue that international engagement must remain tied to the rights and future of Afghans rather than simply adapting to Taliban rule.