UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned that Afghanistan’s new laws “strip Afghan women and girls of their rights and freedoms across the board,” and are causing harm to the nation.

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Guterres said there was “a deep crisis of gender-based discrimination and oppression” against women in Afghanistan. 

“Afghan women and girls are largely confined to their homes, with no freedom of movement and almost no access to education or work,” said the UN chief.

Stating that Afghan women also suffer high rates of violence, honor killings, and rising maternal mortality, he said many feel “unsafe, isolated and powerless.”

The UN chief stressed that the oppression of women undermines Afghanistan’s development and said: “Extreme gender-based discrimination is not only a systematic abuse of women and girls and a violation of human rights conventions and laws. It is self-harm on a national scale.”

He called on Afghan authorities to remove all restrictions against women and girls, reopen schools, and allow women to fully participate in society.

“Without recognizing the rights of one-half of its population, Afghanistan will never take its rightful place on the global stage,” Guterres said.

The ruling Islamic Emirate has however repeatedly said that women’s rights are ensured in Afghanistan in accordance with Sharia law.