Summary:
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In response to the wrong things the Taliban did, the Special Rapporteurs said that discrimination based on gender is a crime against humanity that is punishable by international law.
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The Special Rapporteurs urged the de facto authorities to live up to all of their commitments and obligations under international human rights law and to fully implement all human rights laws, including those that protect the rights of all girls and women to education, employment and participation in political and cultural life.
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Also, the experts stressed that Zarifa Yaquobi and the other men being held with her should either be freed “immediately and unconditionally”, or the Taliban should tell the public why they are being held and let them talk to their families and lawyers.
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Other demands included getting the Taliban to respect women’s and girls’ rights to attend secondary schools and continue their education in higher education, repealing the decree that punishes male family members for perceived transgressions against women and girls and lifting all restrictions on entering public spaces.
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Need for international action experts also urged the international community to insist on the lifting of limitations on women and guarantee the protection of their rights in all negotiations with the de facto authorities.
They said they had gotten much worse because Afghanistan’s abuses of women’s and girls’ fundamental rights and freedoms were already the most terrible in the world.
In response to the wrong things the Taliban did, the Special Rapporteurs said that discrimination based on gender is a crime against humanity that is punishable by international law.
“Tantamount to incarceration”
Women have also been kept out of parks, gyms, and other public places, and in at least one region, they are no longer allowed to join their institutions. At the same time, girls continue to be restricted from secondary education.
The experts said that keeping women out of parks takes away kids’ chances to relax and get some exercise and their right to play and do other fun things.
“Locking women up in their homes is the same as putting them in jail, and it probably leads to domestic violence and mental health problems.”
Utilizing genders as a tool
In the meantime, Taliban officers have brutally beaten men who were with women wearing bright clothes or didn’t have their faces covered.
Also, by punishing male relatives for what women are said to have done wrong, they are taking away the power of women and girls and using one gender against the other by getting men to control how women and girls act, what they wear, and where they go in their spheres.
The statement said, “We are apprehensive that these acts are meant to encourage men and boys to punish women and girls who refuse to help get rid of the Taliban, taking away their rights even more and making violence against them seem normal.”
Defenders, defend
In the past few months, women who protest peacefully against more restrictions on women have been targeted, beaten, and detained more often.
On November 3, the Taliban’s intelligence division arrested people attending a news conference. One of those detained was activist Zarifa Yaquobi. She and four other men are still being held captive.
As they reminded the Taliban that “arresting people for exercising their basic rights is against the constitution and is arbitrary imprisonment,” the experts worried about the safety of the human rights advocates who were being held.
Phone the Taliban
The Special Rapporteurs urged the de facto authorities to live up to all of their commitments and obligations under international human rights law and to fully implement all human rights laws, including those that protect the rights of all girls and women to education, jobs, and participation in political and cultural life.
Also, the experts stressed that Zarifa Yaquobi and the other men being held with her should either be freed “immediately and unconditionally” or the Taliban should tell the public why they are being held and let them talk to their families and lawyers.
Other demands were that the Taliban respect the right of women and girls to go to secondary schools and continue their education in higher education, that the decree that punishes male family members for what they see as wrongdoings against women and girls be overturned, and that all restrictions on entering public spaces be lifted.
Need for international action
The experts also asked the rest of the world to insist in all talks with the de facto government that restrictions on women be lifted and their rights protected.
Leaders worldwide should also work to make it easier and safer for women to make decisions in their own countries. They should also do what they can to find out who is responsible for gender persecution and bring them to justice in the correct international and extraterritorial courts.
Women aren’t allowed in parks, so children can’t play and get some exercise there.
