GENEVA — Five years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan is sinking deeper into an unprecedented human rights and humanitarian crisis. A comprehensive country report released by the Geneva Policy Forum highlights a nation grappling with institutionalized repression, an economic tailspin, and severe food insecurity.
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A Dismantled Legal System and « Gender Apartheid »
The report details how the de facto authorities have completely dismantled the country’s 2004 Constitution and legal frameworks, replacing them with arbitrary decrees based on a strict interpretation of Sharia. Independent UN experts and rights organizations warn that the systematic repression of women and girls—including complete bans on secondary and higher education, work, and public participation—amounts to « gender apartheid » and crimes against humanity.
Key structural changes in the legal sector include:
- Purge of the Judiciary: Approximately 270 female judges have been dismissed, and women are now entirely banned from practicing law.
- Abolition of Protections: Essential legal frameworks, including the Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the Law on the Protection of Child Rights, have been suspended.
- Morality Police Enforcement: The Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has granted broad authority to morality police, resulting in hundreds of arbitrary detentions over dress codes and personal appearance.
Currently, an estimated 3.8 million girls aged 7–18 are barred from attending school, with approximately 250,000 additional adolescent girls permanently losing access to secondary education paths each year.
Key Human Rights & Legal Indicators
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┐
│ Arbitrary Arrests/Detentions (Apr–Jun 2026) │ 389 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤
│ Female Judges Dismissed Since 2021 │ ~270 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤
│ Registered Female Lawyers │ 0 (Banned) │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────┤
│ RSF World Press Freedom Index Rank (of 180) │ 175th │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────┘
(Source: UNAMA, RSF, Geneva Policy Forum Report)
Economic Collapse and Hunger
Despite minor aggregate output gains, rapid population growth—fueled by the return of nearly 5 million refugees from neighboring Iran and Pakistan since 2023—has eroded per-capita income, dropping GDP per capita to roughly $448.
The humanitarian outlook for 2026 remains dire:
- 21.9 million people (45% of the total population) require urgent humanitarian assistance.
- 17.4 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity.
- 3.7 million children under five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition, with nearly a quarter facing life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.
Free Press « Decimated »
Press freedom has plunged to historic lows, ranking 175th out of 180 countries in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index. The Afghanistan Journalists Center documented over 150 media violations in the past year, citing widespread self-censorship, forced confessions, and strict directives aimed at silencing dissenting voices.
International rights organizations, including the UN, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, continue to call on the Taliban authorities to restore constitutional order, rescind discriminatory edicts against women, and uphold international human rights standards.