The Kabul Tribune (KT) — One year after four countries pledged to hold Afghanistan accountable for violations of women’s and girls’ rights, human rights groups are calling for urgent action to turn that promise into a case before the International Court of Justice.
Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands announced in September 2024 that they intended to pursue accountability under the U.N. women’s rights treaty known as CEDAW. The move could pave the way for a landmark case before the world court — the first to address state responsibility for the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on women. Germany has since hosted consultations with Afghan women’s rights defenders, including a virtual meeting last year and an in-person gathering in Berlin in March.
Afghan activists pressed for more transparency and for broader engagement with women, civil society and states from the Global South and Muslim-majority countries. The call for action comes amid a series of international developments. The European Union’s top court ruled last October that the Taliban’s treatment of women amounts to persecution, opening the door for Afghan women to be recognized as refugees based on gender.
In June, the U.N. committee that monitors CEDAW urged the Taliban to restore protections for women’s rights, cooperate with accountability mechanisms and provide remedies for survivors of gender-based violence. On July 8, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and the group’s chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, on charges of gender persecution — a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.
The Expert Working Group on potential ICJ cases, alongside Afghan and international organizations, said Thursday that the four leading states must now “translate words into action” and ensure Afghan women are meaningfully included in the process.
“As Afghan women face intensifying violence and restrictions, there is growing concern over the normalization of the Taliban,” the coalition said. “Greater transparency would help restore trust and show that this initiative is serious.”
The group urged other countries, including members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to join the push. Broader support, it said, would send a “strong message of hope” to Afghan women at a time when their rights are under assault.
