Taliban treatment of women could be ‘gender apartheid,’ UN expert saysReuters, GENEVA, SwitzerlandA UN expert on Monday said that the treatment of Afghan women and girls by the Taliban could amount to “gender apartheid,” as their rights continue to be gravely infringed by the country’s de facto authorities. The UN defines gender apartheid as “economic and social sexual discrimination against individuals because of their gender or sex.”A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group in Kabul on May 23. The Taliban seized power in August 2021, drastically curtailing women’s freedoms and rights, including their ability to attend high school and university. In April, Taliban authorities began enforcing a ban on Afghan women working for the UN after stopping women working for aid groups in December last year. Taliban authorities say they respect women’s rights in accordance with their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
