South Africa Urged to Champion Gender Apartheid as Crime Against Humanity
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the Taliban's systematic oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan as gender apartheid. Human Rights Watch and Afghan activists call for international recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity in a new treaty, urging South Africa to lead efforts in negotiations.
At South Africa’s National Women’s Day commemoration, President Cyril Ramaphosa drew parallels between the Taliban’s oppression of women in Afghanistan and the country’s own apartheid past. Speaking alongside Malala Yousafzai, Ramaphosa condemned the Taliban’s use of law to restrict women’s rights, echoing South Africa’s historical struggle against racial segregation. He emphasized the nation’s moral duty to oppose gender apartheid globally, a term long used by Afghan women to describe their plight under Taliban rule. ## Taliban’s Systematic Oppression of Women Human Rights Watch has documented the Taliban’s severe restrictions on Afghan women and girls, including bans on education beyond sixth grade and limitations on employment, movement, and public participation. These abuses constitute gender persecution, a crime against humanity. The International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants for Taliban leaders on these charges, while UN experts and Afghan activists describe the situation as gender apartheid. ## Advocacy for Legal Recognition Afghan women’s rights defenders, alongside Human Rights Watch and civil society groups, are pushing for gender apartheid to be recognized in international law. They seek its inclusion in a new treaty on crimes against humanity, alongside racial apartheid. Seven governments currently support this effort. As negotiations for the treaty begin, South Africa is urged to advocate strongly for the inclusion of gender apartheid, honoring the legacy of the 20,000 women who marched against apartheid pass laws in 1956. ## A Call to Action Ramaphosa’s acknowledgment of gender apartheid underscores South Africa’s unique position to lead this fight. By supporting the treaty’s inclusion of gender apartheid, the country can uphold its commitment to justice and solidarity with oppressed women worldwide. Human Rights Watch calls on all governments to join this effort, ensuring that gender apartheid is condemned as a crime against humanity.
