Title: Human Rights of Afghan Women Under Siege: An Examination of the Gender Apartheid and Persecution of Women in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s De Facto Rule
Summary: This report provides a comprehensive legal analysis of the Taliban’s systematic persecution of Afghan women and girls as a form of gender apartheid. It analyses over 200 Taliban decrees that institutionalize gender-based oppression and examines how these policies violate Afghanistan’s obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and other treaties.
The report argues that the scale and structure of the Taliban’s discriminatory regime meet the criteria of gender apartheid, a distinct crime requiring codification under international law. It highlights the Taliban’s dismantling of legal protections, suppression of women’s basic freedoms, and use of gender-based segregation as tools of systemic domination. The report calls for the international community to formally recognize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and to hold the Taliban accountable through legal and policy mechanisms.
Key Topics Covered:
- Historical regression of Afghan women’s rights under Taliban rule
- Legal definitions and characteristics of gender apartheid
- Analysis of Taliban decrees violating international human rights obligations (CEDAW, ICCPR, ICESCR)
- Distinction between gender apartheid and gender persecution under international law
- The necessity of codifying gender apartheid in the Crimes Against Humanity treaty
- Recommendations for international legal recognition and accountability efforts
Related Resources:
Legal Brief on Gender Apartheid by End Gender Apartheid campaign
Global Justice Center – Fact Sheet on the Crimes Against Humanity Treaty
Citations & References:
The report is grounded in international human rights treaties, customary international law, and expert legal analysis. Primary sources include CEDAW, ICCPR, ICESCR, the Apartheid Convention, UN reports, and documentation by Afghan and global human rights organizations.