For International Women’s Day on March 8, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Penelope Andrews, Director of the NYLS Racial Justice Project, joined a significant panel discussion hosted by the International Peace Institute (IPI) in collaboration with the Malala Fund and the Atlantic Council. The discussion addressed the reality of Afghan women and girls facing systematic oppression under Taliban rule, and highlighted the global efforts being made to ensure justice for these abuses.
The panelists, including Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai and other human rights experts and diplomats, shed light on the crimes perpetrated by the Taliban and emphasized the urgent need for international recognition and action. As an internationally renowned expert on gender, apartheid, and law, Professor Andrews addressed the systemic denial of civil and political rights for women in Afghanistan.
“It’s not just garden-variety discrimination against women, which we see everywhere, including in this country. It’s more a system of oppression and a vicious system of eviscerating people’s lives,” said Professor Andrews. “We should recognize that by calling [gender apartheid] what it is, we can create the conditions for people to be able to live dignified lives.”
The event was co-sponsored by the Global Justice Center, Rawadari, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and the Permanent Missions of Mexico and Malta. Watch a recording of the full discussion.