Investigation of Sexual Apartheid in Afghanistan under the Taliban Rule

Investigation of sexual apartheid in Afghanistan

 The United Nations Office has held a special meeting to investigate gender apartheid in Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. This meeting was held during the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations at the headquarters of this organization. The Taliban group after regaining power in 2021, restricted Afghan women from all their human rights based on international humanitarian and human rights laws. First, they removed women from government offices, followed by banning girls over the age of 12 from school. Finally, they closed the gates of all universities and all educational centers for girls.

The Taliban did not stop imposing collective and complete restrictions on women. They have even been deprived of their other social rights, such as study abroad, travel ban, marriage of convenience, violation of women's individual rights such as choosing a spouse, etc. With the continuation of this situation, women protested many times and these women's protests have always been suppressed by the Taliban in the last two years. A large number of women activists were arrested, tortured, and sexually assaulted by the Taliban.

Afghan Women with the widespread protest against the international community and especially the United Nations, this organization was forced to hold a special meeting against the sexual apartheid policy of the Taliban. Apartheid in international humanitarian law is a crime that the Hazara minority faces under the rule of the Taliban. But there are no ambiguities in international law regarding gender apartheid.

The approval of sexual apartheid in any country by the United Nations is a very complex and sensitive issue, and its results will be very diverse and complex. Because sexual apartheid means turning sex audit into a state and legal system, military or state sex discrimination based on gender, or other practices that cause sex discrimination.

Overall, if the UN recognizes gender apartheid, this may help global movements to fight gender discrimination and put pressure on countries to change their policies in this area. Some possible effects include:

• Provocative Development for Change: UN ratification of gender apartheid can serve as an international act of recognition for gender discrimination against women and other sexual minorities and pressure countries to change their policies and laws.

• Development of international laws: The ratification of gender apartheid can lead to the development of international laws to combat gender discrimination and allow countries to improve through the promotion of human rights, especially the rights of women and sexual minorities.

• Raising awareness and cultural change: The enactment of sex apartheid can help raise public awareness of sexism and promote cultural change in societies to reject sexism.

• Different responses at the national level: Countries' reactions to the adoption of gender apartheid may vary. Some countries may offer active cooperation in the fight against gender discrimination, while others may reject this decision or have the opposite effect.

• Influencing policies and policy-making: The ratification of gender apartheid may allow the United Nations to influence and bring about changes in national policies and policy-making in the field of gender discrimination.

However, the exact results and effects of approving gender apartheid, especially in Afghanistan, will be highly dependent on the existing conditions, international obligations, countries' reactions, and the global context. Also, the final decision in this regard will be the responsibility of the organizations and member states of the United Nations.