WASHINGTON, United States: The Taliban has failed to take meaningful steps to combat human trafficking in Afghanistan, with child recruitment, forced labour and sexual exploitation continuing across the country, according to a new US State Department report.
The report placed Afghanistan in the lowest tier of its annual human trafficking assessment, saying Taliban authorities did not meet the minimum standards required to eliminate trafficking or demonstrate significant efforts to address the issue.
According to the report, Afghanistan lacks an effective system to identify trafficking victims and connect them with protection and support services. It said Taliban authorities reported no investigations, prosecutions or convictions of human traffickers during the review period.
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The US State Department said the recruitment and use of children in combat and support roles continued, with the Taliban and other armed groups accused of using minors for activities including fighting, transporting weapons, planting explosives and intelligence gathering.
Exploiting Afghan Children
The report also highlighted the continued presence of “Child Sexual Abuse”, despite its formal prohibition. It said observers had reported involvement of Taliban members in the practice and accused authorities of failing to provide adequate protection for victims.
The report criticised a Taliban decree issued against human trafficking, saying it lacked a clear definition of the crime and did not provide sufficiently strong penalties to prevent offenders.
It also raised concerns over restrictions on women’s rights, saying bans on women’s education, employment and movement had increased vulnerability to exploitation and made it harder for victims to access support services.
Afghan children were exploited in sectors including agriculture, mining, construction, domestic work, brickmaking and begging, while some families facing poverty or debt were forced into harmful arrangements.
The report noted that some international organisations had helped release children from Taliban ranks and supported their return to civilian life.
However, it concluded that limited prevention measures, restrictions on civil society and lack of victim support systems continued to leave vulnerable groups at significant risk.
