35% Increase in Sexual Assaults Against Women and Girls in Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule
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A new research conducted by the Afghanistan Women and Children Strengthen Welfare Organization ( AWCSWO ) http://www.awcswo.org Human Rights Organization titled “Justice and Afghanistan Women” reveals a worrying 35% increase in sexual assaults by Taliban members against women and girls in Afghanistan. This research, conducted across 25 provinces (Takhar, Sar-e Pol, Jowzjan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Balkh, Daikundi, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Parwan, Ghor, Farah, Samangan, Faryab, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Maidan Wardak, Kabul, Urozgan, Kapisa, Nimruz, Herat, Paktia, Helmand, and Ghazni), portrays a deep and shocking tragedy. The research shows that from September 1, 2023, to September 1, 2024, the number of sexual assault cases by Taliban members reached 132, compared to 97 cases in the same period last year, indicating a 35% increase. These figures may represent only the tip of the iceberg, hiding the painful and concealed realities occurring under the shadow of Taliban terror and repression. This research was conducted through interviews with 1,400 individuals, including victims of assault, their family members, tribal elders, civil activists, local journalists, and protesting women (all interviewed under conditions of anonymity). Additionally, brief questionnaires were used with leaders of protest movements and well-known women’s rights activists, emphasizing the alarming and worrisome increase in sexual assaults by Taliban members against women and girls. The findings reveal that the majority of these crimes (sexual assaults by Taliban members on women and girls) occurred in rural areas, which are heavily controlled by the Taliban, where access is extremely limited and international oversight is practically non-existent. This geographical focus highlights the depth of the crisis and the questionable failure of the international community to support the fundamental rights of Afghanistan women and girls. The analysis of the research data indicates that various factors have contributed to the increase in sexual violence by Taliban fighters against women and girls in Afghanistan, the most prominent of which are:
-Social Taboos and Cultural Shame: In Afghanistan culture, particularly in rural areas, victims of sexual assault, despite their innocence, face severe social consequences and ostracism. These deeply rooted cultural taboos embolden the perpetrators and discourage victims from reporting these crimes due to fear of shame and retribution.
– Systematic Intimidation and Repression: The Taliban uses sexual violence as a tool to suppress and control society. This approach has kept the community in a state of constant fear and passivity, creating a dangerously conducive environment for the increase in these crimes. The findings show that the Taliban threatens victims and their families with death and imprisonment, silencing them from exposing these crimes.
– Complete Impunity: Over the past three years, none of the Taliban fighters, especially the powerful members of the group who committed sexual assaults, have faced genuine legal prosecution. This absolute immunity from any legal consequences significantly contributes to the rise in sexual assaults, fostering a deep-seated cycle of violence and injustice. Moreover, the research emphasizes the lack of minimal medical and psychological support for victims, noting that the Taliban’s restrictive policies, especially in rural areas, make access to essential services practically impossible for victims. This situation, coupled with the fear of shame and the potential for repeated crimes, has led in some cases to victims committing suicide—a tragedy that reveals the deep wounds caused by this violence. Given the scale and depth of the crisis, the Afghanistan Women and Children Strengthen Welfare Organiztion ( AWCSWO )Human Rights organization stresses that the presented statistics reflect only a small portion of the reality, as many victims and their families refrain from disclosing these incidents for various reasons. The report underscores the urgent need for coordinated and effective actions by the international community and local organizations to address this crisis and offers the following recommendations to reduce and prevent the recurrence of these crimes:
– Strengthening Underground Support Networks and Local Resistance Movements:These networks can play a crucial role in providing essential support, protection, and advocacy for victims of sexual assaults. This support should be provided urgently and systematically.
– Launching Awareness Campaigns:The international community and local organizations should initiate campaigns aimed at educating the community about sexual assault, breaking cultural taboos, and encouraging people to support victims and report cases.
– Increasing Emergency Humanitarian Aid:The international community must significantly increase its aid to provide medical, psychological, and legal support to victims and their families to mitigate the severity of the crisis.
– Urgent Need for Meaningful and Effective Action:The research emphasizes the necessity of cohesive, coordinated, and continuous efforts to tackle this humanitarian crisis in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Without such efforts, the situation for Afghanistan women and girls, particularly in rural areas, will deteriorate drastically, leading to devastating consequences. Finally, the interviewees and victims in this research unequivocally demand justice and the prosecution of Taliban members who have committed sexual assaults. They call on the international community to take immediate and decisive measures to address this humanitarian crisis appropriately. Well-known women’s rights activists also confirm the victims’ calls for justice, warning that the continuation of Taliban rule has disastrously worsened the situation for women and normalized violence and oppression against them. This report is a serious call to the international community and human rights organizations to respond promptly and effectively to this humanitarian disaster and to take action to stop the systematic and brutal violence against women and girls in Afghanistan.
-Also, these sources have put their stamp of approval on this research report.
Vida Saghri, women’s rights activist; Zarmina paryani , women’s rights activist; Monse Mubarez, head of the Afghanistan Women’s Empowerment Movement; Golchehra Yeftali, head of the Afghanistan Women’s Aid Organization; Rokhshaneh Rezaei, head of the Afghanistan Empowered Women’s Movement; Roqia Sa’i, head of the Afghanistan Women’s History Movement; Nasreen Faramarz and Roya Sharifi, female protestors; Farzaneh Ayubi, head of the Afghanistan Women’s Solidarity Movement; and Masouda Kohestani, female protester; are among the women who answered the short questionnaires for this research.
