Twenty-six countries expressed their support on Thursday for a legal initiative to hold the Taliban accountable at the International Court of Justice for systematic human rights violations against women and girls in Afghanistan. In a joint statement, the countries condemned Taliban policies that severely curtailed the rights of Afghan women and girls since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021. The statement emphasized Afghanistan’s obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Since the Taliban’s de facto seizure of power, Afghan women and girls have faced severe violations of their rights. The Taliban has implemented measures to limit their participation in public life and engaged in systematic gender discrimination. The recently adopted law “on vices and virtues” mandates that women cover their entire bodies, remain silent in public, and prohibits them from going outdoors or being photographed, even within their homes.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, responded to the announcement, stating: “The world must act in solidarity with the courageous women and girls of Afghanistan by advocating for their rights and holding the Taliban regime to account.”
In response, the Taliban denied accusations, asserting that they were an attempt to spread propaganda against Afghanistan and “misrepresent the situation.”
In February, the UN published a report detailing the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s attire and its requirement that women have a male guardian, concluding that these rules undermine Afghan women’s freedom of movement, access to education, employment, healthcare, and other basic rights.
More details are available on the JURIST website.