Australia is pushing to hold the Taliban to account for their crackdown on Afghan women’s freedoms since they took control.
It joins Canada, Germany and the Netherlands in leading a challenge to the Taliban under an international convention to eliminate discrimination against women, to which Afghanistan is a party.
Formal notification under the convention, supported by more than two dozen nations, officially calls for the Taliban to come to the negotiating table.
It is the first step before further action is taken, which could include taking it to the International Court of Justice if the request is not resolved within six months.
Nations will not stand by and allow girls to be denied an education and banned from speaking in public, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, as human rights in the Asian nation deteriorate.
“The Taliban have demonstrated disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, through a campaign of sustained and systematic oppression,” she said.
“We have heard the calls of Afghan women and are committed to defending their human rights and amplifying their voices.”
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (pictured) says the Taliban have shown disregard for the human rights of women and girls and must be held accountable.
Formal notification under the convention, supported by more than two dozen nations, officially calls for the Taliban to come to the negotiating table (pictured, women in Ghazni).
