Taliban’s Systematic Abuse of Women Exposed in Shocking Reports

Research findings from a news source and the annual report by the United Nations expose shocking crimes—including kidnapping, sexual violence, torture, and forced marriages—perpetrated against women by Taliban fighters in northern and central provinces.

Grim Accounts of Systematic Violence Against Women in the Provinces

A comprehensive investigation by a news source reveals disturbing and systematic incidents of sexual assault, kidnapping, forced marriages, and coerced dancing of women at Taliban military centers in northern and central regions of Afghanistan. According to this field report, following the collapse of the republic, women have become the primary victims of extreme policies, with their rights to education and work being stripped away, especially in non-Pashto regions, where their safety and dignity have been utterly compromised even within their own homes. Local sources confirm that some commanders of this group exploit the poverty of families to forcibly seize young girls.

A Case of a Girl Imprisoned at 12 Due to Her Father’s Debt

One glaring example of these atrocities comes from a video shared by Ms. Qurban Gul, highlighting the tragic fate of her 17-year-old daughter, Sadiqa, in the Bala Murghab district of Badghis province. This grieving mother disclosed that her daughter was forcibly taken at the age of 12 due to her father’s financial debts by a local Taliban supporter known as Khoday Nazar.

Instead of liberating the child, Taliban courts in Badghis and subsequently the group’s appellate court in Kandahar offered her a choice between forced marriage or prison. Sadiqa chose incarceration, spending five crucial years of her adolescence behind bars. Her mother also claims that the attorney, Mr. Hamid, who represented Sadiqa’s case, was mysteriously assassinated two years ago in Herat city.

UN Report Reflects Sexual Crimes

In line with these revelations, the annual report by the UN Secretary-General concerning sexual violence tied to conflicts formally confirms these allegations. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented multiple instances of sexual assault, gang rapes, forced nakedness, and torture of female protesters by Taliban security and intelligence personnel in its quarterly report. The UN has warned that due to the complete collapse of an independent judicial system, intimidation of survivors, and a lack of support mechanisms, the actual figures of these honor-related atrocities in Afghanistan are significantly higher than the reported data. The international community must urgently intervene to mitigate this humanitarian crisis.