Episode 32: No Country for Women: Lawyering for Gender Justice in Afghanistan

Episode 32: No Country for Women: Lawyering for Gender Justice in Afghanistan

Author: European Journal of International Law March 18, 2025 Duration: 47:50

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has sought to reverse Afghan women’s hard-won progress toward gender equality. Through dozens of decrees, policies, and statements, it has targeted the autonomy and rights of women and girls, barring them from public life and severely restricting their basic freedoms. Yet, Afghan women have refused to accept their political, social, and economic erasure. Both inside the country and within the Afghan diaspora, they have protested the Taliban’s edicts in domestic and international fora, often at great personal peril. 

In this episode of the EJIL Podcast, Afghan activist, researcher, and filmmaker Sahar Fetrat and University of Michigan Law Professor Karima Bennoune join hosts Neha Jain (Northwestern University) and Michal Saliternik (Netanya Academic College) to discuss Afghan Women’s fight for justice and accountability on the global stage. The conversation highlights the potential and limitations of various international legal processes, mechanisms, and strategies—including current and anticipated proceedings against the Taliban at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court—for reclaiming Afghan women’s rights. It also explores ways to strengthen international action against gender persecution and gender apartheid in Afghanistan and beyond.


Dive into the complex and ever-evolving world of global legal frameworks with EJIL: The Podcast! Brought to you by the European Journal of International Law, this series transforms intricate legal concepts into engaging and accessible conversations. Each episode features the journal's own editors, along with contributors from its dynamic blog, EJIL: Talk!, who bring their deep expertise directly to the microphone. Rather than dry academic lectures, you'll hear thoughtful, nuanced discussions that connect the dots between international law and the pressing events shaping both global and domestic landscapes. From diplomatic tensions and human rights to trade disputes and environmental agreements, the podcast examines how legal principles are tested and applied in real time. Produced with the European Journal of International Law and supported by staff at the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, the production ensures a consistently high-quality exploration of ideas. Whether you're a legal professional, a student, or simply a curious mind trying to understand the rules that govern state interactions, this podcast offers a vital and clarifying perspective. It’s a direct line to the thinkers who are dissecting today's most challenging issues, making the often-opaque mechanics of international affairs comprehensible and relevant to our daily lives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 44

EJIL: The Podcast!
Podcast Episodes
Episode 3: Hacked Off! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:39
With cyberattacks against the health care sector on the rise, this episode focuses on international law and cyber operations, especially in the context of the fight against COVID-19. For this discussion, Dapo Akande, Mar…
Episode 2: WHO let the bats out? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:43
Dapo Akande, Marko Milanovic, Sarah Nouwen and Philippa Webb are joined by Gian Luca Burci, former Legal Counsel of the World Health Organization, to discuss international health law and pandemics. They discuss the oblig…
Episode 1: Contagion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:55
Dapo Akande, Marko Milanovic, Sarah Nouwen and Philippa Webb discuss the compatibility with international human rights law of the measures taken by states in the fight against the corona virus. Do states have a duty to c…