More than 40 countries have called on the Taliban government in Afghanistan to revoke all restrictions imposed on the rights of women and girls. The joint appeal came on the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power last August, which was followed by measures described by the United Nations as “suffocating restrictions” that have severely curtailed freedoms, particularly for females.

According to data from Unesco, approximately 2.4 million Afghan girls and young women are currently barred from accessing secondary education. Jerome Bonnafont, France’s representative to the United Nations, spoke on behalf of the coalition of 43 signatories—including numerous European nations, as well as Liberia, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and Japan—highlighting the Taliban’s adoption of policies enforcing gender-based segregation. He said these measures have effectively erased women and girls from public life and restricted their ability to obtain education, healthcare, and employment.

Bonnafont also warned that women who resist or are perceived as resisting these restrictions face arrest and arbitrary detention. The statement further noted that individuals supporting these women or viewed as critics of the Taliban regime are also subject to detention and other reprisals.

The international coalition urged the Taliban authorities to lift all limitations on the rights of women and girls without delay and to end ongoing human rights violations. The appeal was made ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting focused on the humanitarian and human rights situation in Afghanistan.

The country’s overall circumstances remain dire, with widespread poverty affecting large segments of the population. Despite this, forced returns of Afghans continue, with the United Nations reporting that over 400,000 individuals have been forcibly sent back to Afghanistan this year, primarily from neighboring Iran and Pakistan.