Taliban rejects accusations of gender discrimination
Date
9/29/2024 3:13:55 AM
(MENAFN) The Taliban has firmly rejected accusations of gender discrimination and other human rights violations, even as four countries—Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands—commit to holding Afghanistan's rulers accountable under international law for their treatment of women and girls. Reports indicate that these nations plan to initiate legal proceedings against the Taliban for violating a UN convention on women's rights, to which Afghanistan is a signatory.
The initiative was announced on Wednesday during the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York, which will run until Monday. Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban had promised a more moderate approach to governance. However, they have implemented policies that severely restrict women's and girls' rights, including barring access to education beyond the sixth grade, excluding them from many public spaces, and limiting their participation in the workforce. Additionally, in August, the Taliban's Vice and Virtue Ministry enforced laws that require women to cover their faces in public and prohibit them from raising their voices.
The proposed legal action has garnered support from over 20 countries, emphasizing a collective condemnation of the "gross and systematic human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan," particularly focusing on the gender-based discrimination against women and girls. The international community is increasingly vocal about its disapproval of the Taliban's treatment of women, seeking to hold the regime accountable for its actions and advocating for the restoration of rights and freedoms that have been stripped away since their return to power.
As the situation continues to develop, these countries aim to leverage international law as a tool for accountability and change, stressing the importance of safeguarding human rights and promoting gender equality in Afghanistan.
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