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STORY: UN / AFGHANISTAN WOMEN TALIBAN
TRT: 03:17
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 14 AUGUST 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN Headquarters
14 AUGUST 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press room dais
3. Wide shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Ferguson, Special Representative in Afghanistan, UN Women:
“It's now four years since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. In the years since, dozens of decrees have continued to severely limit Afghan women and girls’ rights, freedoms and their dignity. These restrictions are not temporary. Not one has been reversed. It is the most severe women's rights crisis in the world, and it's being normalized.”
5. Wide shot, press room dais
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Ferguson, Special Representative in Afghanistan, UN Women:
“The introduction last year of the so-called morality law was a defining turning point in Afghanistan, crystallizing the systematic erasure of women from public life. It codified long held social norms existing for generations in some parts of the country into a rigid system of control. And it's already reshaping daily life.”
7. Wide shot, press room dais
8 SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Ferguson, Special Representative in Afghanistan, UN Women:
“Although Afghanistan security incidents have remained low. The tragedy is that women's security has not. Women continue to feel and often are unsafe in public places and in their families and are unable to reap the benefits of an increase in the overall security situation since the takeover. When it comes to education and employment. Women and girls are still barred from high schools, universities and most jobs, devastating a generation of young Afghan women.”
9. Wide shot, press room dais
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Ferguson, Special Representative in Afghanistan, UN Women:
“The return of Afghan women and girls from Iran and Pakistan is further deepening the women's rights crisis in Afghanistan. Already this year, more than 1.7 million Afghans have returned, many forcibly. Women and girls represent one third of returnees from Iran so far and half from Pakistan. Many returned to no home, no income and no access to education or health care. Arriving in communities already stretched to breaking point by the economic crisis and climate shocks, and where their choices and freedoms are restricted.”
11. Wide shot, press room dais
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Ferguson, Special Representative in Afghanistan, UN Women:
“I have met with a Taliban official actually just yesterday. And we continue to meet with Taliban officials both at national and subnational level. We have to meet with Taliban officials because we need to discuss some of the barriers that may be put up that impact our work. And we really need to engage with them to change some of these barriers. And we do talk to the Taliban regularly about these things. And actually, we also, the reports that we do are shared with the Taliban, and we hope that they also influence some of their policy decisions.”
13. Wide shot, end of briefing
UN Women’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, Susan Ferguson, today (14 Aug) said, “the return of Afghan women and girls from Iran and Pakistan is further deepening the women's rights crisis in Afghanistan,” noting that “already this year, more than 1.7 million Afghans have returned, many forcibly.
Four years after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, Ferguson said, “dozens of decrees have continued to severely limit Afghan women and girls’ rights, freedoms and their dignity,” stressing that “these restrictions are not temporary. Not one has been reversed. It is the most severe women's rights crisis in the world, and it's being normalized.”
UN Women has compiled 10 key facts which explain the most severe women’s rights crisis in the world – affecting 21 million women living in Afghanistan.
Briefing reporters in New York via video teleconference from Kabul, Ferguson said, “the introduction last year of the so-called morality law was a defining turning point in Afghanistan, crystallizing the systematic erasure of women from public life. It codified long held social norms existing for generations in some parts of the country into a rigid system of control. And it's already reshaping daily life.”
She said, “women continue to feel and often are unsafe in public places and in their families and are unable to reap the benefits of an increase in the overall security situation since the takeover.”
When it comes to education and employment, Fe4rguson continued, “women and girls are still barred from high schools, universities and most jobs, devastating a generation of young Afghan women.”
The UN Women official said, “women and girls represent one third of returnees from Iran so far and half from Pakistan. Many returned to no home, no income and no access to education or health care. Arriving in communities already stretched to breaking point by the economic crisis and climate shocks, and where their choices and freedoms are restricted.”
Responding to a journalist’s question, she said, “we continue to meet with Taliban officials both at national and subnational level. We have to meet with Taliban officials because we need to discuss some of the barriers that may be put up that impact our work. And we really need to engage with them to change some of these barriers. And we do talk to the Taliban regularly about these things. And actually, we also, the reports that we do are shared with the Taliban, and we hope that they also influence some of their policy decisions.”
According to UN Women, Afghan women are experiencing a worsening health crisis – bans are driving child marriage, adolescent pregnancies, and deaths. Women’s representation in decision-making has vanished – all political leadership roles in Afghanistan are held by men. Women are prevented from accessing public spaces – including parks, gyms and sports clubs.
Many women-led organizations can no longer effectively reach women and girls due to global aid cuts – threatening vital services and solidarity networks
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