A new report by the United Nations, released on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, reveals that at least 85,000 women were intentionally killed in 2023, with 60% of them being killed by their partners or family members.
The report, published ton Monday, November 25, highlights that the home remains the most unsafe and dangerous place for women.
The UN’s findings indicate that every day, 140 women and girls worldwide are murdered by their partners or family members. This statistic on femicide shows that 60% of these murders occur within the home, often at the hands of close relatives.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, said: “What the data tells us is that the private spaces of women’s lives, where they should be safest, are in fact where many of them are exposed to lethal violence.”
She also emphasized that the shocking findings of the report are just “the tip of the iceberg,” as many women’s deaths go unreported, and not all deaths are accurately categorized as femicides. There are numerous communities where access to information is limited, making it impossible to track all instances of violence.
The plight of Afghan women, particularly under the Taliban regime since August 2021, mirrors these global statistics. Despite widespread condemnation from the United Nations and the international community, women in Afghanistan continue to suffer extreme forms of discrimination and violence.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, women have been systematically excluded from public life, their rights to education and employment severely restricted, and many have been forced to remain confined to their homes.
The ongoing crackdown on women’s rights, including the ban on girls’ education beyond sixth grade, restrictions on women’s employment, and their exclusion from university education, has created an environment where women are further marginalized and oppressed.
The international community must intensify efforts to hold the Taliban accountable and ensure that Afghan women’s basic human rights are protected and restored. Without meaningful pressure, the situation for Afghan women will only continue to worsen.
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