A new report presented to the United Nations Security Council has accused Taliban officials and fighters of committing sexual violence against Afghan women and girls, including rape, gang rape, forced marriage, torture, and other abuses.
According to the report, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented 21 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025 involving 15 women and six girls. The report states that Taliban members subjected victims to rape and gang rape, while some women were reportedly stripped naked or forced into marriage.
The findings noted that despite the Taliban’s publicly announced ban on forced marriages in 2021, Taliban officials themselves were allegedly involved in arranging and sustaining such marriages.
Another section of the report said Taliban authorities arbitrarily detained women who protested against Taliban policies and subjected some detainees to torture, ill-treatment, and sexual violence.
The report said these abuses took place amid worsening humanitarian conditions and widespread impunity across Afghanistan. Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, also stated that women and girls who challenged Taliban gender restrictions faced torture, mistreatment, and sexual violence in detention centres.
The report further highlighted severe restrictions on support services for Afghan women. According to the document, frontline service providers continue to offer legal assistance and support, but access has sharply declined due to funding shortages and restrictions imposed on female humanitarian workers.
By July 2025, the report said, more than 400 health centres had closed and hundreds of gender-based violence service points had become inactive. Taliban authorities were also accused of preventing Afghan women employed by the United Nations from entering UN offices.
The report stressed that women seeking justice face major obstacles because complaints related to sexual violence are largely handled by male officials and there is no clear legal framework to ensure accountability.
In October 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council established an independent investigative mechanism for Afghanistan to gather and analyse evidence of international crimes and serious human rights violations against women and girls.
The report also included recommendations from the UN Secretary-General, calling on Taliban authorities to immediately end all acts of sexual violence and repeal laws and policies restricting the rights and freedoms of women and girls.
The Secretary-General additionally urged Taliban authorities to comply with Afghanistan’s international obligations and relevant UN resolutions, including Resolution 2681 (2023), and to remove restrictions preventing Afghan women from working with the United Nations and non-governmental organisations.
The Taliban administration has not yet issued an official response to the report.
The findings form part of a broader UN document warning of a sharp global increase in conflict-related sexual violence during 2025, with Afghanistan cited as an example of institutionalised gender discrimination combined with direct violence against women and girls.
