Experts have cautioned that discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule, which also gives rise to concerns that they may be responsible for gender apartheid.
Authors
Abhinav Mehrotra, Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Biswanath Gupta, Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Summary
As we are aware of the present situation in Afghanistan, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has issued a warning against systematic ‘gender apartheid and gender persecution’. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has shared his concerns recently regarding the systematic violations of the human rights of women in Afghanistan. He titled it the ‘darkest moment’ in the journey of human rights in Afghanistan.
Turk, while speaking at the opening summer session of the Council, added that the de facto authorities had “dismantled the most fundamental principles of human rights, particularly for women and girls.”
In a joint report to UNHRC, Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, Chair of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, said that the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan was among the worst in the world. The report calls on the de facto authorities to respect and restore women’s and girls’ human rights and urged the international community to remain engaged on the situation in Afghanistan and take concrete steps to support accountability for serious human rights violations.
Bennet said, “We also draw to the Council’s attention our deep concern that these serious deprivations of women’s and girls’ fundamental human rights and the harsh enforcement by the de facto authorities of their restrictive measures may constitute the crime against humanity of gender persecution.” He further added that “Grave, systematic and institutionalized discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule, which also gives rise to concerns that they may be responsible for gender apartheid.”
Published in: News18.com
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