Opinion | Will suing the Taliban protect Afghan women? Maybe with China’s help
Taking legal action over gender discrimination in Afghanistan may have limited impact, but Beijing has influence it can use to bring change
The Netherlands, Canada, Germany and Australia announced the move on Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly, marking only the second time a country is sent to the International Court of Justice for violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination of Women (CEDAW).
Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said the situation was “heartbreaking” while Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said the four countries would “hold the Taliban to account” for its treatment of women in Afghanistan.
Women also face a culture of extreme violence. In March, the Taliban declared that stoning as a punishment would return to Afghanistan; in August, a woman in Balkh province was reportedly sentenced to death by stoning. The Centre of Information Resilience’s Afghan Witness project reveals more than 300 reported cases of women being killed by men since the Taliban seized power, saying this is the “tip of the iceberg”.