UN General Assembly Third Committee, the Social, Humanitarian
and Cultural Affairs Committee, Chair: Afghanistan
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The Afghan military and police were involved in at least 75 gross human rights violations from 2010 to 2016, including murder, torture and child sexual assault, according to a newly declassified U.S. government report. Source: NBC News, January 23, 2018 |
Mission of the Third Committee, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee, of the General Assembly: The Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee deals with "a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that affect peoples all over the world...the advancement of women, the protection of children, indigenous issues, the treatment of refugees, the promotion of fundamental freedoms through the elimination of racism and racial discrimination..." (
General Assembly - Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee website, "Third Committee")
Term of office: 2018-2019 Afghanistan's Record on "human rights issues that affect peoples all over the world...the advancement of women, the protection of children, indigenous issues, the treatment of refugees, the promotion of fundamental freedoms through the elimination of racism and racial discrimination": "The most significant human rights issues included extrajudicial killings by security forces; disappearances, torture; arbitrary arrest; detention, including of women accused of so-called moral crimes; and sexual abuse of children by security force members. Additional problems included violence against journalists, criminalization of defamation; pervasive government corruption; and lack of accountability and investigation in cases of violence against women. Discrimination against persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities and discrimination based on race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation persisted with little accountability... Traditional societal practices continued to limit women's participation in politics and activities outside the home and community, including the need to have a male escort or permission to work... Forced virginity testing remained legal, and police, prosecutors, and judges continued to order virginity tests in cases of "moral crimes" such as zina. Women who sought assistance in cases of rape were often subject to virginity tests... hundreds of thousands of women continued to suffer abuse at the hands of their husbands, fathers, brothers, in-laws, armed individuals, parallel legal systems, and institutions of state, such as the police and justice systems... Women who reported cases of abuse or who sought legal redress for other matters reported they experienced discrimination within the judicial system... Key obstacles to girls' education included poverty, early and forced marriage, insecurity, lack of family support, lack of female teachers, and a lack of nearby schools... Police reportedly beat and sexually abused children."
(U.S. State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2017, Afghanistan)