Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban's ban on education has heightened Afghan girls' desire to learn.
Speaking at an event at the University of Ottawa in Canada, Bennett addressed the policies of the Taliban and authoritarian regimes, stating that force, threats, fear, and violence have limits and people will always resist. He noted that while it may seem contradictory, girls' eagerness for education is now even higher than during the republic era.
The UN Special Rapporteur stressed that suppression alone will not maintain the Taliban in power, warning that it will inevitably lead to widespread public resentment and opposition.
Bennett urged Canada to pursue legal actions under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and advocate for recognizing 'gender apartheid'. Two years ago, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands warned they would take Afghanistan's non-compliance to the International Court of Justice.
He noted that the Taliban seek to reshape public thinking by promoting ideological education in schools and madrasas while tightly controlling media outlets. Bennett also welcomed the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants against four Taliban leaders, describing the deprivation of women's education as a crime against humanity.
Bennett added that environmental destruction, water management, and legacy war toxins require further study, while his upcoming thematic report will focus on religious and linguistic minorities in Afghanistan.
Source: University of Ottawa address / UN Special Rapporteur
🌐
