UN Expert: Taliban's Treatment of Women May Constitute 'Gender Apartheid'

A United Nations expert said on Monday that the Taliban's treatment of Afghan women and girls may amount to gender apartheid, as their rights continue to be severely violated by Taliban officials. Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva: "Severe discrimination, organized and institutionalized actions against women and girls are at the heart of the Taliban's ideology and governance, which raises concerns that they may be responsible for gender apartheid." The United Nations defines gender apartheid as "economic and social discrimination against individuals based on their sex or gender." Bennett noted to reporters on the sidelines of the council session: "We have pointed to the need for further exploration of gender apartheid, which is currently not an international crime but could become one." The Taliban took power in August 2021 and severely restricted women's freedoms and rights, including the ability to attend high school and university. In a report on Afghanistan from July to December 2022, Bennett concluded that the Taliban's treatment of women and girls "may be considered gender-based violence and a crime against humanity." On Monday, Bennett emphasized to the Human Rights Council: "The serious deprivation of the fundamental rights of women and girls and the imposition of severe restrictive measures by the current authorities in this country may constitute a crime against humanity in the form of gender-based persecution." Taliban officials announced in April this year a ban on Afghan women's work for the UN after halting women's work for aid groups in December of last year. Taliban officials claim they respect women's rights according to their strict interpretation of Islamic laws.