Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands have threatened the Taliban with taking them to the International Court of Justice over women's rights violations in Afghanistan, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The countries have officially reminded the Taliban of their obligation to respect women's rights, as set out in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Afghanistan is a party to the agreement, DPA specifies.
German Foreign Minister Analene Baerbock plans to meet with her colleagues from Australia and Canada – Penny Wong and Melanie Joly, as well as with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Kaspar Veldkamp, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
In a draft declaration, the four countries condemn the widespread and systematic violations and abuses of human rights in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.
“We have repeatedly called on Afghanistan and the Taliban, including within the UN, to respect international law, in particular human rights law, to protect the rights of all Afghans and to remove all restrictions on the rights of women and girls, including their right to education,“ the declaration says.
“However, the situation has not improved; on the contrary - it continues to deteriorate. "Women and girls in Afghanistan deserve nothing less than the full enjoyment of their human rights," she added.
The parties warn that failure to make changes could lead to arbitration and referral to the International Court of Justice.
According to the UN, Afghanistan is the only country in the world that denies access to education to women and girls over the age of 12.