Woman set on fire for 'bad cooking' and others sent into sex slavery by Taliban, respected Afghan judge says

Taliban fighters have reportedly set a woman on fire for "bad cooking" as others are allegedly being forced into sex slavery. 

A respected former Afghan judge and activist Najla Ayoubi has described her experience in the capital saying she had to "flee" for her life after promoting women's rights.

"They are forcing people to give them food and cook them food," Ayoubi told Sky News. "A woman was put on fire because she was accused of bad cooking for Taliban fighters."

The former judge was forced to escape Afghanistan when the Taliban took control of the country and has since received multiple reports of violence against women.

"There are so many young women in the past few weeks being shipped into neighbouring countries in coffins to be used as sex slaves," she told Sky News.

"They also force families to marry their young daughters to Taliban fighters. I don‘t see where is the promise that they think women should be going to work when we are seeing all of these atrocities."

Ayoubi added that many of her fellow activists in Afghanistan are "in hiding" in fear of what the Taliban would do to them. 

The Taliban first took control of Afghanistan back in 1996, enforcing harsh rules, which saw women having to cover themselves and only leave the house in the company of a male relative. They also banned girls from attending school and women from working outside the home.

Their rule over the entire country ended in 2001 when international forces, led by the US, toppled the group in response to the September 11 attacks.

The Taliban have pledged peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law when they held their first official news briefing since their shock seizure of Kabul.

"We don't want any internal or external enemies," the movement's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said earlier this week.

Women would be allowed to work and study and "will be very active in society but within the framework of Islam," he added.

But various reports from Afghanistan have claimed women have been forced home from work while others flee in fear of being killed. 

"I didn’t want to go outside of Afghanistan, but my mum forced me to leave," one Afghan national told Fox News. Her mother told her: "I’m sure the Taliban will kill you because you’re a journalist and you’re a woman." 

"I had lots of dreams, I had lots of hopes for Afghanistan, but now, I am in a bad situation and I’m just trying to find the way."

In a recent statement signed by the US. and 20 other countries, asked those in power in the country to "guarantee" the protection of women and girls from "any form of discrimination and abuse."

"We are deeply worried about Afghan women and girls, their rights to education, work and freedom of movement. We call on those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan to guarantee their protection," the statement read. "We in the international community stand ready to assist them with humanitarian aid and support, to ensure that their voices can be heard."