UN confirms Albanian authorities and forces have committed sexual violence against Afghan women
The UN Security Council has reported that Albanian authorities and forces have committed sexual violence against women.
The report states that UNAMA documented 21 cases of sexual violence, including gang rapes against 15 women and 6 girls in 2025.
According to UNAMA, Albanian authorities and forces have raped or gang-raped these Afghan women. Some of them have been stripped naked or forced into forced marriages.
The report emphasizes that despite the ban on forced marriage, Albanian authorities are perpetrators of forced marriages.
In part, the report states that the Albanian regime has arbitrarily detained protesting women and subjected them to torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence.
Despite these findings, the UN has called on Albania to end sexual violence and guarantee the rights of women and girls.
The report states that the current authorities in Afghanistan have pursued repressive policies against Afghan women and girls.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan has also stressed that women and girls have faced torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence in detention centers for protesting or challenging gender-based policies in Afghanistan.
According to paragraph 17 of the report, as of July 2025, more than 400 health facilities had been closed and hundreds of service points related to gender-based violence had been disabled. The authorities in Afghanistan have also prevented Afghan women working for the United Nations from entering the organization’s buildings.
Lack of justice and accountability
The report points to the lack of a clear legal framework for women’s access to justice. Complaints of sexual violence are mainly investigated by male officials.
In paragraph 19 of the report, the UN Secretary-General calls on the authorities in Afghanistan to immediately stop all acts of sexual violence.
He also called for the repeal of all laws, policies and practices that restrict the fundamental rights and freedoms of women and girls.
The UN Secretary-General called on the Afghan authorities to fully comply with Afghanistan’s international obligations and Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2681 (2023), and to lift the ban on Afghan women’s employment in the United Nations and non-governmental organizations.
The report is part of a broader document that documents a sharp increase in conflict-related sexual violence globally in 2025.
The situation in Afghanistan is highlighted as an example of the combination of institutionalized gender discrimination and direct violence.
Shahpour Nayebzada
UN confirms Albanian authorities and forces have committed sexual violence against Afghan women
