The Taliban government is using the judicial system to persecute women

• The Taliban have suspended laws that protect women's rights.
• Women have lost access to the judicial system and justice.
• International organizations are taking action against violations of women's rights.

The United Nations reported that the Taliban government in Afghanistan "has stripped" legal and judicial systems for the protection of women and girls, which are "crimes against humanity," according to a report by independent expert Richard Bennett.

He noted that after the Taliban's takeover in 2021, they suspended the 2004 Constitution and repealed laws that protected the rights of women and girls. These laws included an important law that criminalized 22 types of violence against women, including rape and child marriage.

The Taliban dismissed all judges who worked under the previous government, including nearly 270 women, replacing them with men who share extremist views. Bennett also indicated that the Taliban have taken control of human rights organizations and advocacy agencies, systematically cleansing them of Afghans who worked in the previous government.

Bennett emphasized that women in Afghanistan have effectively lost their rights. "Today, there are no female judges or prosecutors, and no officially registered female advocates, which leaves women and girls with fewer safe channels for reporting violence or seeking justice," he stated.

The Taliban have imposed restrictions on education for women and girls, banned most types of employment, and limited women's access to many public spaces. New laws prohibit women from speaking and demonstrating in public.

Bennett asserts that women who seek to appeal to the Taliban's judicial system face hostile environments, and many of their complaints are dismissed. In situations where women cannot find support within the official system, they increasingly turn to traditional mechanisms of justice, which are controlled by men.

International forums may become the only hope for justice, Bennett noted, urging all countries to support the inclusion of Afghanistan in the International Court.

Tags: Politics