MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 150 of the Rules of Procedure

Matthieu Valet, Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Afroditi Latinopoulou, Mieke Andriese, Julie Rechagneux, Silvia Sardone, Hermann Tertsch, Jaroslav Bžoch
on behalf of the PfE Group

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to its previous human rights resolutions on Afghanistan,

1. whereas in January 2026 the Taliban authorities adopted a new Criminal Procedure Code for Courts further consolidating their interpretation of Islamic law within the Afghan judicial system;

2. whereas the Code codifies and institutionalises discrimination and violence against women by reinforcing male guardianship structures, limiting women’s ability to seek legal remedy independently, and providing broader legal justification for violent punishments and restrictions targeting women’s behaviour and public presence; 

3. whereas the situation of women in Afghanistan has catastrophically and rapidly deteriorated even further since the Talibans retook power in August 2021 and introduced the strict enforcement of Sharia law; 

4. whereas in 2025, approximately 100,000 Afghan nationals, predominantly male, have received refugee status in the EU; whereas in 2025, Afghans received the largest number of protection statuses in the EU representing 27% of the total;

5. whereas Afghan nationals are statistically overrepresented in certain categories of crime in Europe, including cases involving violence against women;

1. Strongly condemns the new Criminal Procedure Code for Courts institutionalizing violence against women and girls; condemns the systemic denial of women’s and girls’ fundamental rights in Afghanistan, including bans on education, employment and freedom of movement, as well as the mandatory wearing of the burqa; condemns the restrictions against women and girls, which prevent them from accessing essential services;

2. Recalls that these restrictive measures constitute a strict and direct application of Sharia law, causing a massive regression in women’s rights in Afghanistan and in other parts of the world;

3. Emphasizes that the continued migration from Afghanistan to Europe will lead to the continued importation of Islamist ideologies and behaviours, further undermining the security of women and social cohesion in Europe; recalls that Afghan asylum seekers are overwhelmingly male and are over-represented in crime rates in several European countries, including in violence against women;

4. Urges Member States to halt the illegal migration of primarily young adult males from Afghanistan to the EU; urges an effective return and readmission of illegal immigrants;

5. Notes the Commission’s invitation to the de facto Afghan authorities to receive a delegation in Brussels to discuss the return and readmission of illegal immigrants;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the United Nations Secretary-General, and the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.