Civil groups urge greater transparency in legal case against Taliban authorities
A number of Afghan civil society organisations have, on the second anniversary of the announcement of a four-country legal initiative to hold the Taliban authorities accountable for violations of women’s and girls’ rights, called for greater transparency over the process, continued consultations and the extension of measures.
Rohaaniat, an organisation, said in a joint statement on Friday, 3 October, that two years after the initiative was launched, women and girls in Afghanistan continue to face a catastrophic deterioration in human rights conditions, tightening restrictions and systematic discrimination by the Taliban authorities.
The statement said that as human rights violations in Afghanistan continue and intensify, there is a greater than ever need for clearer information on how this legal process is progressing. The organisations said the Taliban authorities continue to issue new restrictive decrees and regulations against women and girls, and that opposition to these policies is also criminalised.
Civil society organisations have asked the foreign ministries of Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands to provide more details on the progress of the case, the measures taken and the next steps.
According to the statement, Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands announced on 25 September 2024 that they were acting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to hold the Taliban authorities accountable for violations of women’s and girls’ rights. The convention is considered one of the most important international instruments for the elimination of discrimination against women.
