UN Chief backs global calls to end discriminatory restrictions on women in Afghanistan

The UN Secretary-General has announced his support for calls from countries and organizations to lift the Taliban’s discriminatory restrictions against women immediately.

António Guterres condemned what is happening in Afghanistan and said that it is not acceptable.

Guterres also said, “I join all countries & organizations demanding that the de facto authorities remove all discriminatory restrictions against women & girls immediately.”

Recently, the foreign ministers of Germany, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands warned that if the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan does not improve, they will take the Taliban to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). These four countries emphasized that the violations of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan must be stopped.

More than 20 countries have expressed their support for this decision to prosecute the Taliban at the ICJ.

On Wednesday, September 25, in a statement on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the foreign ministers of the four countries condemned the severe and systematic human rights violations in Afghanistan, particularly gender-based discrimination against women.

Human rights activists have accused the Taliban of widespread human rights violations, claiming that by removing women from society, the group has established gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have closed girls’ schools above the sixth grade and banned women from attending universities. Over the past three years, they have imposed strict restrictions, barring women from working in NGOs, visiting parks and restaurants, travelling without a male guardian, and participating in sports and political activities. In a recent move, the Taliban have formalized these restrictions into law and have declared women’s voices as “immodest.”

In response to the actions of these countries, the Taliban have denied allegations of human rights abuses.

The international community’s growing pressure on the Taliban signals a united stand against gender oppression in Afghanistan. As legal actions are considered, it remains to be seen whether the Taliban will address the global outcry or further isolate themselves from the international stage.

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