HRW cautions against normalising ties with Taliban amid rights concerns

HRW cautions against normalising ties with Taliban against the backdrop of rights worries.

Key points

• Anwar Iqbal Published September 8, 2026 Updated September 8, 2026 11: 42pm.
• "Since 2021, Taliban authorities have systematically deprived women and girls of their fundamental rights, " the organisation remarked.
• "Five years of restrictive rule and socio-economic collapse have fundamentally altered the conditions in which Afghanistan's children are growing up, " Bennett remarked.
• During a long journalism career, he has interviewed world leaders and cultural icons, including US Presidents George W.
• "These policies are not only violating children's rights today – they are undermining their ability to determine their own futures, " Bennett remarked.

Anwar Iqbal Published September 8, 2026 Updated September 8, 2026 11: 42pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

As a UN expert highlighted the devastating consequences of five years of Taliban rule for Afghan children and young residents, WASHINGTON: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has cautioned countries against normalising engagement with the Taliban without clear and measurable human rights benchmarks.

"Countries should not normalise engagement with the Taliban without clear and measurable human rights benchmarks, " HRW remarked in an official note to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.

It pressed states to recognise gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and backing International Criminal Court (ICC) efforts to prosecute those responsible for gender persecution and other grave international crimes in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the warning came as Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, issued a new report on the impact of Taliban policies on children.

Bennett remarked the Taliban's institutionalised system of discrimination, repression and ideological control was depriving children of their rights to inclusive and quality education, freedom of expression and meaningful participation in social and public life.

"Afghanistan's children are growing up in an environment where discrimination, especially against girls and women, is being normalised; they are denied the right to learn and their opportunities for the future are dramatically shrinking, " Bennett remarked.

He expressed particular concern over the continued denial of education beyond the sixth grade to girls and the growing exposure of children and young individuals to gender-based violence, forced and child marriage, child labour and ideological indoctrination.

"For girls in particular, the systematic denial of education is closing doors that may never reopen, with serious consequences for their mental health and the country's development as a whole."

Meanwhile, the report remarked these abuses were taking place against a backdrop of decades of conflict, poverty and unmet humanitarian needs. By dismantling or weakening institutions that previously protected children's rights, the Taliban had exposed Afghan children to greater risks of violence, abuse and exploitation, Bennett remarked.

Children living in poverty or remote areas, those with disabilities, members of marginalised religious and ethnic communities, and displaced children or those returning from abroad are among the most vulnerable, he remarked.

Bennett additionally cautioned that restrictions on media, culture and freedom of expression were limiting the diversity of ideas and experiences available to Afghan children.

"Children need space to learn, to think freely, to express themselves and imagine a different future, " he remarked. "Instead, many are growing up in fear, isolation and uncertainty."

Meanwhile, the restrictions, combined with limited educational opportunities, were contributing to a growing sense of despair and could create future security reservations and a migration crisis, Bennett cautioned.

He cautioned, nevertheless, against viewing Afghan children only as victims, noting their resilience and determination to backing their families and communities and pursue alternative forms of learning.

Bennett pressed the Taliban to end discriminatory policies, restore comprehensive education for girls, strengthen child protection and justice systems, prevent child and forced marriage and child labour, prohibit corporal punishment, and restore inclusive healthcare and social protection for children with disabilities.

He additionally called on other countries to fully fund humanitarian assistance, expand alternative education for girls and safe pathways for Afghans at risk, and backing mine-action programmes, youth initiatives and international accountability efforts.

"The international community must act now to protect their rights and ensure that present and future generations are not deprived of the opportunity to shape Afghanistan's future."

HRW, meanwhile, remarked gender persecution had become further entrenched over the past year, with the Taliban dismantling already limited legal protections for women and girls.

HRW cited a new criminal procedure code that recognises only "excessive" beating as domestic violence against women, potentially leaving survivors of other forms of abuse without effective avenues for justice. It additionally stated a decree concerning judicial separation had eliminated minimum-age protections for girls' marriage.

Journalists, human rights defenders, peaceful protesters and former administration employees continue to face arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and other serious abuses, HRW stated.

In practice, the organisation pressed UN member states to renew Bennett's mandate and provide his office with the resources needed to independently monitor and report on Afghanistan. It additionally called on the urgent operationalisation of the Human Rights Council's new independent accountability mechanism for the country.

HRW further pressed governments not to forcibly return residents to Afghanistan, where persecution remains systematic and well documented, and to backing efforts by the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for gender persecution and other grave international crimes.

"Afghan victims, survivors and their families have waited far too long for truth, justice, and reparation, " HRW remarked.

Separately, UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his call on the Taliban to lift restrictions preventing Afghan women working for the UN from entering its premises and carrying out their duties.

For context, the UN has remarked the restrictions hamper its ability to deliver assistance and services to the Afghan population, particularly women and girls.

In practice, the warnings from Bennett, HRW and Guterres come as the Taliban regime approaches five years in power, with the UN expert warning that its policies are affecting not only the rights of Afghans today but the prospects of an entire generation of children.

Anwar Iqbal is the Washington correspondent for Dawn. During a long journalism career, he has interviewed world leaders and cultural icons, including US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Josh Malihabadi, Bacha Khan, Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, and humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi.

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