UN Mission Calls for Urgent Action Against Violence Toward Women in Afghanistan

The acting head of Afghanistan’s UN mission has highlighted shocking documented reports of sexual and physical violence against women arrested for alleged improper hijab, calling for urgent and serious action from international bodies to address these systematic abuses of power.

The Role of Security Officials in the Atrocities in Herat Province

The Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations has brought to light distressing facts about the plight of women and girls in custody. Nasir Ahmad Faiq, the acting head of this mission, announced that substantive evidence has been obtained showing that several women and young girls, arrested on the pretext of dress code violations, have become victims of severe physical violence and sexual assault during their detention.

This high-ranking diplomatic official, during a formal statement, described such actions as a blatant abuse of power and official authority. He emphasized that the disclosure of these details has generated a wave of deep concern and shock within human rights circles and the international community, deeming silence in response to these reports as unacceptable.

According to data provided in these reports, a significant portion of these arbitrary and inhumane treatments have been recorded in various provinces of the country, particularly in Herat. Local documents indicate that some intelligence officers and employees of the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have exceeded their legal limits, abusing their absolute powers to systematically oppress and harass detained women.

The head of Afghanistan’s mission in New York insisted that these cases cannot be concealed in any way, stressing that these documented reports require immediate attention, independent efforts from legal authorities, and serious intervention at high international levels to hold the perpetrators of these inhumane behaviors accountable.