The Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women and children may constitute a crime against humanity, according to a group of UN specialists who spoke out on Friday (November 25). According to Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, and nine other experts, the treatment of women and girls may constitute ‘gender persecution’.
They claim that the Taliban’s persecution of women and girls worsens ‘flagrant abuses of their human rights and freedoms, which are already the most severe internationally and may amount to gender persecution — a crime against humanity’. In August of last year, the Taliban took back control of Kabul from the Western-backed government and vowed to reinvent themselves in order to foster better international connections, increase commerce, and revitalise the country’s economy.
However, it seems that the Taliban 2.0 is very similar to their previous incarnation. The analysts also claim that the updated Taliban is not eager to significantly alter its radical ideology. The Taliban are not close to changing their strict social policies, as evidenced by their most recent decisions, particularly those that concern women and their freedom.
After seizing power, they claimed to respect women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law, but ever since, the majority of women who work for the government have lost their jobs. Additionally, there are limitations on the mobility of women, their access to education, the enrollment of young girls in school, their clothing, etc.
In a statement, the UN experts said that ‘violations of women and girls’ fundamental rights and freedoms in Afghanistan, already the most serious and intolerable in the world, have drastically worsened in recent months’. According to the statement, confining women to their houses is equivalent to imprisoning them and is likely to aggravate domestic violence and mental health issues.
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