On Thursday, the G7 rose up against the Taliban’s policy of abolishing women’s rights. Stating that the decisions taken may constitute “a crime against humanity”, the G7 foreign ministers are calling on the Taliban regime to reconsider its decision to deny women access to higher education.
“Taliban policies aimed at erasing women from public life will have consequences for our countries’ relations with the Taliban,” the ministers warned in a statement issued on Thursday. And they warn Kabul of possible consequences before the International Criminal Court in The Hague: “sexist persecution may constitute a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute, to which Afghanistan is a State Party”.
A “deeply shocking” measure
On Wednesday, the French Foreign Ministry condemned “with the greatest firmness” this “deeply shocking” measure. “This decision is added to the list of countless violations and restrictions on the rights and fundamental freedoms of Afghan women pronounced by the Taliban”, reacted the spokeswoman for the Quai d’Orsay Anne-Claire Legendre during a press briefing. . “France recalls its constant commitment in favor of a universal right to education and its particular attention to the defense of the rights of girls, adolescents and women”.
The United Nations is “deeply concerned,” said Ramiz Alakbarov, deputy special representative of the UN chief for Afghanistan, on Tuesday. “Education is a basic human right. A closed door to women’s education is a closed door to Afghanistan’s future,” he tweeted.
Already deprived of secondary education in Afghanistan since the accession to power of Islamic fundamentalists, Afghan women have seen their rights reduced to a trickle. As well as being deprived of education, women are also banned from most government jobs or paid a pittance to stay at home.
They are also prohibited from traveling without being accompanied by a male relative and must wear a burqa or hijab when leaving their homes. In November, the Taliban also banned them from entering parks, gardens, sports halls and public baths.