Responding to my call that UK join Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands in bringing proceedings against the Taliban as the de facto government of Afghanistan for the violations of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Government says ” We are discussing with international partners ways to hold them accountable.”

Lord Collins of Highbury, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL1485):

Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they intend to join Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands in bringing proceedings against the Taliban as the de facto government of Afghanistan for the violations of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. (HL1485)

Tabled on: 10 October 2024

Answer:
Lord Collins of Highbury:

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls’ rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions. As the Foreign Secretary said on 24 August, the exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is another tragic setback for Afghanistan. We are discussing with international partners ways to hold them accountable. More broadly, officials regularly press the Taliban to reverse their inhuman restrictions, both bilaterally and with international partners.

Date and time of answer: 23 Oct 2024 at 14:51.