The International Peace Institute, in collaboration with the Atlantic Council and the Malala Fund, hosted a high-level panel discussion on the worsening rights of girls, women, and individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities in Afghanistan.
The event, held on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day, focused on the ongoing efforts to ensure justice and accountability for gender apartheid. The IPI highlighted initiatives to recognize and codify the crime of gender apartheid in a statement.
Co-sponsors of the event included the Global Justice Center, Rawadari, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, Malta, and Mexico, the IPI reported.
The IPI’s statement detailed the Taliban’s imposition of laws, policies, and practices that systematically oppress women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals, including 85 decrees aimed at curtailing the rights of girls and women.
Additionally, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center launched “Inside Afghanistan’s Gender Apartheid,” an interactive audio timeline. This initiative allows listeners to hear directly from Afghan women and girls about the impacts of escalating gender apartheid in the country.
The statement emphasized the experiences of Afghan women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals under the Taliban, promoting discussion on accountability for the ongoing crimes. “One such avenue is the codification of the crime of gender apartheid under international and domestic law,” the statement noted.
International Women’s Day was observed on March 8 amidst the Taliban’s severe restrictions on Afghan women and girls, limiting their access to education, employment, and freedom of movement and expression.
