Countries Set To Take Taliban To International Court Over Gender Discrimination (X image)
Canada, Australia, Germany, and Netherlands are moving to take Taliban to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for gender discrimination. It was announced during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
It is the first time the ICJ has been used by one country to take another to court over gender discrimination during a UNGA. The case is being brought under the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, as adopted by the general assembly in 1979, and brought into force in 1981.
Afghanistan ratified the convention in 2003. The country was taken over by the Taliban in 2021. This is the first legal move of the kind against Afghanistan since the take over. It is believed that Kabul would have six months to provide a response before the ICJ hold a hearing and most probably propose provisional measures.
Also Read: Taliban Bans Women From Singing, Reading And Speaking In Public
The advocates of the course argue that even if the Taliban refuse to acknowledge the court’s authority, an ICJ ruling would have a deterrent effect on other states seeking to normalise diplomatic relations with the group, as signatories to the ICJ are expected to abide by its rulings.
Reportedly, there has been concern that the UN has held talks with the Taliban in which women’s issues have been excluded from the agenda in an attempt to persuade the Taliban to attend.
The new move has support of three female foreign ministers: Penny Wong from Australia, Annalena Baerbock from Germany, and Mélanie Joly from Canada. Caspar Veldkamp, the Dutch Foreign Minister also backs the proposal.
Recently, Taliban have decreed that the Afghan women are prohibited from speaking in public. This move, the latest round of oppression, prompted an online campaign in which Afghan women sign in protest.
Also Read: ‘Huge Mess, Never Coming Back’: Afghanistan Slam Sub-Par Facilities At Greater Noida Stadium
During a UN event this week, actress Meryl Streep said that in Afghanistan, a female cat might have more freedom that the country’s women. She said, “A female cat has more freedom than a woman. A cat may go sit on her front stoop and feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park. A squirrel has more rights than a girl in Afghanistan today because the public parks have been closed to women and girls by the Taliban. A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not”.
The countries involved in the new proposal said that they are willing to negotiate with the Taliban in good faith to end gender discrimination, but will, if the necessary stages prove fruitless, seek a hearing at the ICJ.
Last month, Taliban introduced new set of vices and virtues, which appear to be infuriating to the general public. The new rules said women must not leave the house without being fully covered and could not sing or raise their voices in public.
