Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk reports that conditions in Afghanistan are worsening, with increasing restrictions impacting daily life. Education, employment, freedom of movement, and access to public life have been severely restricted, especially by the Taliban's Office for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which arrests individuals for alleged dress code, beard length, and music violations.
Türk highlighted ongoing human rights abuses against former opponents and religious minorities, along with media censorship and the closure of outlets. The UN documented that at least 449 people underwent corporal punishment by de facto authorities in the first half of 2026.
The situation for women is especially dire. Since 2021, more than two million girls and women have been denied secondary and higher education. Recent Taliban decrees have made it harder for women to separate from spouses and have implicitly allowed child marriage and violence against women and children. The absence of women in public decision-making roles was also criticized. Additionally, women—including UN staff—have faced restrictions on entering UN premises in Afghanistan.
Forced returns continue, with the UN refugee agency reporting over 400,000 Afghans forcibly returned, mostly from Iran and Pakistan, but also from Türkiye, Tajikistan, and EU countries. Many returnees, with no prior experience in Afghanistan, face deep poverty and limited access to food, water, healthcare, education, and jobs. Türk stressed that around 21.9 million people, about 45% of the population, endure severe deprivation amid the ongoing crisis.