From 18 to 20 March 2024, an expert roundtable on the topic of “Institutionalized system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity and exclusion of women and girls in Afghanistan” was held at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) in Lund, Sweden, and online. This roundtable, which was part of the RWI Afghanistan program, brought together about 41 Afghan and international experts, both online and onsite including academics and practitioners, along with the UN Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and some of his support team to discuss the situation of women and girls in the country.
The aim of the roundtable was to discuss the situation of women and girls under the de facto authorities in Afghanistan and to provide input from Afghan and non-Afghan experts and scholars as well as support from other relevant special procedures and treaty bodies for the mandated UNSR report to be submitted to the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2024.
During the expert roundtable, the experts discussed the current situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, including the national, intergenerational and international consequences of the persecution of women and girls in the country, the possibilities to change the de facto authorities policies and conduct towards women and girls, the role of Sharia and the role of the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and Afghan and international stakeholders in addressing the situation.