Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said the Taliban’s treatment of women amounts to “crimes against humanity” and should be described as a system of gender apartheid.
Speaking at the third Madrid meeting on the situation of women in Afghanistan, Bennett warned against normalising relations with the Taliban and said human rights conditions in the country have continued to deteriorate.
He said the Taliban have dismantled legal and judicial structures as well as institutions that supported women, leaving women particularly vulnerable to the consequences of these policies.
The UN rapporteur urged countries to make any engagement with the Taliban conditional on respect for human rights, especially the rights of women.
Bennett said the vision for Afghanistan should not be abandoned and described the current situation as a test for the international community. He warned that normalising relations with the Taliban would be both morally and strategically wrong and stressed that the group must be held accountable.
He emphasised that clear conditions must be set for any interaction with the Taliban and that no engagement should proceed unless those requirements are met. He called on governments to uphold their international commitments and to support the rights of Afghan women and citizens.
Reiterating the need for accountability, Bennett said the Taliban have targeted women, ethnic minorities, human rights defenders and former government employees.
