Beaten, flogged, and jailed

Gender apartheid isn’t (yet) a crime -- but with your help it could be! [Add Your Name]( Under the Taliban's repressive regime, women can’t work and girls can’t go to school beyond the sixth grade. Those who resist are beaten and flogged. It’s gender apartheid, and it isn’t even illegal under international law! Not yet... Insiders at the UN tell us that the fate of a new crimes against humanity treaty is balanced on a razor's edge. A treaty like this could help protect women and girls in Afghanistan and elsewhere, but to get there we need to rally massive public support – so add your name! [Add Your Name]( Dear friends, The Taliban have stripped away nearly all the rights of women and girls and denied them access to work, education – even public spaces like parks. And it's turned Afghanistan into one of the only countries in the world where more women than men die by suicide. The most infuriating part? This system of gender apartheid isn't even illegal under international law — but it could be soon. The UN is about to decide whether to open negotiations for a brand new treaty on crimes against humanity, and insiders tell us that this is a do-or-die moment. The key committee meets in four weeks. If we can swing a few more countries, we can make sure countries like China and Russia don’t stop it in its tracks. So sign now and we’ll hand deliver our voices to the delegates at the General Assembly. [SIGN HERE - MAKE GENDER APARTHEID A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY!]( Afghan women are essentially living under house arrest. Going outside requires male “supervision.” Millions of girls are being robbed of their education, healthcare, and future. Those who resist are beaten, imprisoned and flogged – they even face being stoned to death for adultery. This kind of all-encompassing, state-sponsored gender apartheid isn’t yet illegal under international law, even though other forms of gender discrimination and persecution have been banned for decades. Despite the dangers, brave Afghan women are leading the movement to outlaw gender apartheid. Now may be our best chance to answer their call! A new international treaty won’t solve everything everywhere all at once -- but it could require states to prevent and punish gender apartheid, and make it easier to bring governments that commit these crimes to justice. None of this can happen if the treaty dies in its tracks. Once this petition reaches 1,000,000 voices strong, we will deliver it to leaders at the UN and demand they make gender apartheid a crime in the new treaty. [SIGN HERE - MAKE GENDER APARTHEID A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY!]( Ever since the Taliban’s takeover, our movement has stood side by side with Afghan women and girls. We were over a million to denounce the cruel ban keeping girls out of school, and our global outcry helped ensure the international community would hold the line. And small donations from Avaaz members around the world helped power lifesaving aid across the country for people facing their darkest hour. Let’s stand once again with Afghan women – and with women and girls worldwide! With Hope, Nate, Huiting, Parker, Bieta, Antonia and the rest and the rest of the Avaaz team More information: - [UN Decision to Advance Crimes Against Humanity Treaty]( (HRW) - [UN envoy says ICC should prosecute Taliban for crimes against humanity for denying girls education]( (AP) - [Taliban Ridicules Women’s Oppression: An Insulting Perception of Women]( (8AM.Media) - [Nobel peace prize winner joins calls for UN to criminalise gender apartheid]( (The Guardian) - [End Gender Apartheid]( Avaaz is a 70-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 22 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns [here](, or follow us on [Facebook](, [X](, or [Instagram](. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Join Avaaz!" on 2016-03-01 using the email address {EMAIL}. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, [contact us](, or simply [go here to unsubscribe](. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at [www.avaaz.org/en/contact]( . [Avaaz.org] 27 Union Square West Suite 500 New York, NY 10003 [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram](