Richard Bennett to Present Special Report on Afghan Women’s Health Rights

Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has announced that he will present a special report on the health rights of Afghan women and girls on Thursday, February 26, at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Isteqamat Press Bennett wrote in a post on X that, in addition to the report, he will also deliver an oral statement addressing recent human rights developments in Afghanistan.

Bennett has repeatedly warned that the Taliban’s severe restrictions on women’s education, employment, freedom of movement, and access to essential health services pose a serious threat to the country’s social stability and humanitarian situation.

The report comes as international organizations continue to urge the Taliban authorities to lift gender-based restrictions, a policy the Taliban maintains is in accordance with Islamic Sharia law.