Following years of Afghan women’s activism against gender-based discrimination under Taliban rule, human rights organizations Amnesty International, the End Gender Apartheid Campaign, and Human Rights Watch have said that recognizing gender apartheid as an international crime has moved one step closer.
The organizations made the remarks in a joint statement on Thursday, August 6, emphasizing that recognizing gender apartheid as an international crime is an essential step toward strengthening women’s rights and gender justice globally.
According to the statement, countries should join the growing wave of support in solidarity with Afghan women and as a safeguard against the recurrence of such systematic oppression elsewhere.
The statement said that 14 countries now openly support making gender apartheid an international crime.
It also said that the “need to recognize gender apartheid stems from the decades-long leadership of Afghan women,” who have called on the international community to recognize the issue.
However, the human rights organizations said that negotiations at the United Nations on recognizing gender apartheid as an international crime are scheduled to begin in 2028.
