Taliban threaten families of UN female staff in effort to block their work, employees say

[duluxe]

KABUL — Several women employed by United Nations agencies in Afghanistan say Taliban have escalated threats against their families in a bid to force them to quit their jobs, raising alarm over the safety of humanitarian workers and the future of international aid operations in the country.

In interviews with Amu TV, two women — who requested anonymity due to security concerns — described systematic harassment, including repeated visits by Taliban-affiliated individuals to their homes. They said that The men issued verbal threats of arrest and even death if the women continued to work.

“Taliban threatened my family, saying that if I didn’t stop working, not only I but also my relatives would face serious consequences,” one UN employee said. “Some of the threats were made directly, others over the phone.”

Another woman confirmed that her family had been warned that male relatives would be held responsible if she returned to her post.

Taliban have not responded to repeated requests for comment on these reports.

The issue comes as the Taliban continue to impose sweeping restrictions on women’s rights, particularly in education, employment, and public life, since reclaiming power in August 2021. While the regime has barred most Afghan women from working for national and international NGOs, UN female staff were previously afforded limited exceptions — though even those protections now appear increasingly precarious.

“When the Taliban came to our office, we were terrified. They pointed weapons at us. All of us were in shock. After that, they came to our house several times in civilian clothes. They warned my father and made him sign a pledge, saying that if we returned to work, we might be imprisoned — and even threatened with death,” a UNAMA employee said.

Human rights experts say these threats signal a growing intolerance even toward women working within international institutions. The pressure, they warn, could severely hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid in a country where millions rely on assistance for basic survival.

“This level of intimidation not only violates international law but directly jeopardizes humanitarian operations,” said a development analyst who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Previous reports have echoed similar concerns. In late May, The Independent cited sources in Kabul who said that unidentified armed men had followed female UN employees from their offices to their homes and coerced male family members into signing written and video-recorded pledges to prevent the women from returning to work.

While the Taliban have routinely dismissed such reports or declined to comment, the increasing documentation of harassment and threats has raised urgent questions among international agencies about the safety of their local female staff — and the future of their presence in Afghanistan altogether.

 

[syed putra]

If not for WWII sand russuan rule , the entire " stans" would have end up like afghanistan. During WWII, men were marched to the war front while women were made to work in armoury and weapons factories placed too far away for germans to attack. They cznnit weat burkha in factories so that was how tge women wete liberalized and liberated.