“In recent months, violations of the fundamental rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, already serious and unacceptable around the world, have increased dramatically,” they said. strong”.
in one statement Pushing back against Taliban violations, the Special Rapporteur argued that gender repression is a crime against humanity, punishable under international law.
‘Equivalent to jail’
While girls are still out of high school, women are also banned from parks, gyms and other public places – and in at least one area, recently barred from entering their university. surname.
“Prohibition of women from the park also deprives children of opportunities for recreation and exercise, as well as their right to participate in recreational and recreational activities,” the experts point out.
“Keeping women in the home equates to imprisonment and is likely to lead to increased levels of domestic violence and mental health challenges.”
Gender tooling
At the same time, Taliban officers brutally beat men traveling with women who wore colorful clothes or did not cover their faces.
Furthermore, they are eliminating the self-determination of women and girls by punishing male relatives for targeted offenses against women – instrumentalizing one gender against another. by encouraging men to control the behavior, dress, and movements of women and girls in their circles.
We are deeply concerned that such actions are intended to force men and boys to punish women and girls against the Taliban’s eradication of them, further deprivation of their rights and normalize violence against them”.
protect defender
Female human rights defenders who peacefully protested against growing restrictions on women for months have increasingly been targeted, beaten and arrested.
On 3 November, a press conference was interrupted and attendees were detained, including activist Zarifa Yaquobi, who, along with four men, remained in the custody of the Taliban’s intelligence service. .
Experts expressed concern about the health of detained human rights defenders and reminded the Taliban that “the arrest of those exercising their fundamental rights is illegal and constitutes arbitrary detention.” convenient”.
Calling the Taliban
Special Rapporteurs call for in fact competent authorities comply with all international human rights obligations and commitments and fully implement human rights standards, including the right of all girls and women to education, work and participate in public and cultural life.
Experts also stressed that Zarifa Yaquobi and the men detained with her must be “immediately and unconditionally released”, or the Taliban must make public the reasons for their detention and allow contact with their families and attorneys.
Other calls to action are for the Taliban to respect basic rights to assemble without intimidation and attack; repeal the decree punishing male family members for perceived violations against women and girls; open all high schools for girls and ensure they continue to college; and remove all restrictions on access to public places.
International action needed
Meanwhile, experts also call on the international community to demand the reversal of restrictions on women and ensure respect and protection of their rights in all discussions with in fact authorities.
In addition, global leaders should take steps to investigate and prosecute those responsible for gender-based abuse in appropriate international and extraterritorial jurisdictions; increased support for Afghan human rights defenders, especially women and girls; while promoting and providing safe platforms for women to participate in decision-making in the country.
The prohibition of women from going to the park prevents children from having fun and exercising.
About the experts
Click here to see the names of those who spoke.
Special Rapporteur and independent experts appointed by the UN based in Geneva Dong Nhan Quyen Association arrive check and report back about a particular human rights topic or a country situation. The positions are honorary and they are not paid for their work.
