United Nations Special Envoy Gordon Brown emphasized that the denial of education to Afghan girls and employment opportunities to Afghan women constitutes gender discrimination, which should be classified as a crime against humanity.
United Nations Special Envoy Gordon Brown emphasized that the denial of education to Afghan girls and employment opportunities to Afghan women constitutes gender discrimination, which should be classified as a crime against humanity.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education has called for the International Criminal Court to investigate and bring charges against the Taliban for their violation of fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls.
Special Envoy Gordon Brown emphasized that the denial of education to Afghan girls and employment opportunities to Afghan women constitutes gender discrimination, which should be classified as a crime against humanity and pursued by the International Criminal Court.
Brown, the former British prime minister who now serves as the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, made this announcement on the second anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan.
The envoy stated that he is in contact with the ICC and has shared the legal opinion with court officials.
He urged the ICC to initiate an investigation and pursue charges against those responsible for denying education to Afghan girls and employment to Afghan women.
In addition to his call for ICC action, Brown urged Muslim nations to send a delegation to Kandahar, Afghanistan, to meet with Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and his associates. He appealed to them to encourage the Taliban to lift the bans on education and work, emphasizing that these bans have no basis in the Quran or Islam.
Brown further suggested that an offer should be extended to the Taliban regarding the reopening of schools under conditions that ensure proper rights and dignity for girls. He proposed that if such terms are met, the education aid that was previously provided for two decades but subsequently cut would be reinstated.
Brown’s viewpoint aligns with that of other United Nations officials who have expressed the belief that there might be differing perspectives within the Taliban regime regarding the potential restoration of education.
“We believe there are many people within the Afghan Education ministry itself, and of course many teachers, who want to get the girls back to school,” Brown said.
The special envoy outlined a five-pronged coordinated approach, which includes pressuring through the International Criminal Court, imposing sanctions on individuals, sending a delegation from Muslim nations to meet senior leaders, providing education funding, and demonstrating the persistence of online and underground schools to ensure education reaches the female population despite the regime’s attempts to suppress it.
The Taliban’s actions include banning girls from attending schools beyond the sixth grade, preventing female students from accessing university classes, and prohibiting Afghan women from working for the UN and other aid organizations.
The UN has been actively engaged in efforts to convince the Taliban to revoke a significant number of the 50 edicts, orders, and restrictions they have imposed. This includes advocating for the reversal of the April 5 ban on Afghan women working for the UN.
Approximately 400 Afghan women are employed by the organization within the country, and in response to the decree, the UN has transitioned them to remote work arrangements as a workaround.
