UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned that the international community appears to be losing focus on Afghanistan, urging countries to renew pressure on the Taliban to uphold human rights and its obligations under international law.
Türk said millions of Afghans continue to struggle with poverty while human rights conditions deteriorate and hundreds of thousands of people are being forcibly returned to Afghanistan. He described the international community’s silence over the situation as deeply concerning.
The UN rights chief strongly criticized restrictions imposed on women and girls, including bans affecting secondary and higher education, employment, freedom of movement and participation in public life. According to Türk, around 2.2 million Afghan girls and women have been denied secondary and higher education since 2021.
He also raised concerns over Taliban measures affecting women’s ability to separate from their spouses, as well as what he described as provisions that could facilitate child marriage and violence against women and children.
Türk said Taliban authorities had continued arrests linked to dress codes, beard length and music. He added that at least 449 people were subjected to corporal punishment during the first half of 2026.
The UN official also highlighted alleged violations against former government officials and security personnel, restrictions on religious minorities and increasing censorship of Afghan media.
Meanwhile, more than 400,000 Afghans have reportedly been forcibly returned, mainly from Iran and Pakistan. Türk warned that many returnees could face poverty and limited access to food, clean water, healthcare, education and employment.
The UN estimates that 21.9 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance. Türk called on governments to reconsider policies that could further harm vulnerable Afghans and urged countries with influence in the region to defend the equality and dignity of the Afghan people.