UN Mission in Afghanistan Says Taliban Harassing Its Female Staff

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan says that there has been an “emerging pattern of harassment of Afghan UN female staff” by Taliban officials, which the UN refers to as the de facto authorities. “The UN in Afghanistan expresses its mounting concern about de facto authorities’ actions against Afghan female employees of the United Nations. The UN urges the de facto authorities to abide by their obligations to respect the privileges and immunities of the UN and all its staff, including their freedom of movement throughout the country,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement. On Monday, three Afghan women working for the United Nations were “singled out and temporarily detained for questioning by armed security agents” of the Taliban, according to the UNAMA. “The UN calls for an immediate end to all such acts of intimidation and harassment targeting its Afghan female staff, calling on the de facto authorities to reiterate and enforce explicit guarantees for the safety and security of all UN personnel operating in Afghanistan in a manner consistent with Afghanistan’s obligations under international law,” the statement said. Since it took over a year ago, the Taliban have closed secondary schools for girls and requires women to wear a burqa in public, among other restrictive measures.