Experts point out that confining women to their homes is “tantamount to imprisonment” and add that it is likely to lead to increased levels of domestic violence and mental health problems
The Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, including excluding them from parks and gyms, as well as schools and universities, could amount to a crime against humanity, UN experts said yesterday.
In their assessment, UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett and 9 other UN experts highlight that the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan may amount to “gender-based persecution” under the Rome Statute, to which Afghanistan is a signatory.
Reacting to this assessment, the Taliban government’s foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balki said: “Today’s collective punishment of innocent Afghans by the UN sanctions regime in the name of women’s rights and equality amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.” ».
UN experts point out that confining women to their homes is “tantamount to imprisonment” and add that it is likely to lead to increased levels of domestic violence and mental health problems. Experts cite the arrest this month of activist Zarifa Jacobi and 4 of her male colleagues.
They are still in custody, they note.
The Taliban seized power from a Western-backed government in August 2021. They say they respect women’s rights based on their own interpretation of Islamic law.
Western governments have said that the Taliban must reverse its policy of respecting women’s rights and its policy of excluding girls from secondary education if they are to take any step towards an official recognition of their government.
Separately, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Taliban authorities to immediately stop public floggings in Afghanistan.
Ravina Samdasani noted that her agency documented several such incidents of public flogging this month, including one in which a woman and a man were flogged 39 times each for spending time together alone while not married. Balki responded by saying that the Taliban government considers this UN announcement and others made by Western officials “an insult to Islam and a violation of international principles.”
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
