Golshifteh Farahani, the renowned Iranian actress, has called on governments to include gender apartheid in the draft treaty on crimes against humanity. She believes that the oppression of women and girls under the rule of the Taliban group in Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran is an example of gender apartheid.
In a post on her Instagram page, Farahani wrote that she, along with international lawyers and human rights activists, signed a letter urging governments to recognize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. She emphasized that the opportunity to include gender apartheid in international law should not be missed.
The Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly is scheduled to discuss the proposed treaty on crimes against humanity in October. Recognizing gender apartheid in this treaty would provide the international community with the necessary tools to take action against apartheid regimes.
Additionally, a group of Afghan and Iranian women have launched a campaign called “End Gender Apartheid.” Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, recently described gender apartheid as the most accurate description of the institutionalized oppression of women in Afghanistan and called on governments to accept it as a crime against humanity.
