KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, met with a group of Afghan refugee women in Canada on Tuesday, October 22, ahead of his scheduled talks with Canadian officials.
The meeting, organized by the Canada Feminist Association for Afghanistan, focused on social justice and women’s rights, highlighting the struggles Afghan women have faced since fleeing Taliban rule.
Bennett also held discussions with members of Afghanistan’s Parliamentary Network and leaders of women’s advocacy groups in Canada. His week-long trip, which began on Sunday, aims to bolster Canada’s support for human rights in Afghanistan, particularly focusing on women’s rights under the Taliban regime.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, they have imposed severe restrictions on Afghan women, curtailing their rights to education, work, and movement. In August, the Taliban barred Bennett from entering Afghanistan, accusing him of “spreading propaganda” against their authority.
Many Afghan women have urged the need to label the Taliban’s policies as “gender apartheid,” calling for this term to be used as a tool for mobilizing international action. Bennett has echoed this sentiment, calling on nations to support the recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and to provide political backing for Afghan activists working to highlight this issue.
UN experts have similarly called for gender apartheid to be recognized as a crime, arguing that the Taliban’s policies towards Afghan women amount to systematic discrimination on a global scale.
Bennett’s discussions in Canada are expected to continue until Saturday, focusing on ways to enhance Canada’s role in defending human rights in Afghanistan.
