The latest report from the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the situation of children in Afghanistan reveals that alongside the deprivation of millions of girls from education, thousands of cases of violence against children have been recorded from January 2021 to December 2022, including kidnapping, murder, abuse, and sexual assault of children.
This report covers the period from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, during which the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan. As a result of this political change and regime shift, millions of girls were deprived of education, thousands of children turned to work due to widespread poverty, and the crisis of migration and fear of living under the rule of the Taliban created the grounds for widespread violation of children’s rights.
The sixth report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the situation of children in Afghanistan and armed violence is based on Security Council Resolution 1612 and was published on Saturday, December 23. The Taliban administration, the Islamic Party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and the Khorasan branch of ISIS are among the groups that have committed violations of children’s rights in Afghanistan and are officially listed as violators of children’s rights. These Islamist groups are listed as violators of children’s rights in Afghanistan due to recruiting, abusing, killing, and facilitating sexual assault against children.
The findings of the United Nations indicate that from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, more than 4,519 cases of violence against children were recorded in Afghanistan, and a total of 3,545 children aged a few months to 17 years old were victims of violence during this period.
Research from this period shows that during the mentioned timeframe, at least 257 cases of recruitment and abuse of children took place in Afghanistan, 3,248 children were killed and injured, and 21 cases of sexual violence against children were also part of the documented reports alongside 33 cases of kidnapping, 211 cases of vulnerability during attacks on health centers and schools, and 749 cases of deprivation from access to humanitarian and welfare services.
Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Children and Armed Conflict, has stated that the restrictions imposed by the Taliban have significantly contributed to the increase in violations of children’s rights.
According to her, “Millions of girls have been prevented from going to schools. This, along with harmful social norms and traditional practices, has exposed many girls to severe forms of violence and abusive behaviors, including honor killings, early marriages, domestic violence, and sexual violence.”
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