is pushing to hold the Taliban to account for its crackdown on freedoms for Afghan women since seizing control.
It joins Canada, Germany and the Netherlands in spearheading a challenge to the Taliban under an international convention on eliminating discrimination against women, to which Afghanistan is a party.
The formal notification under the convention, supported by more than two dozen nations, officially demands the Taliban come to the negotiating table.
It’s the first step ahead of further action being launched, which could include taking it to the International Court of Justice if the request isn’t settled within six months.
The nations would not stand by and allow girls to be denied education and banned from speaking in public, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said, as human rights in the Asian nation deteriorate.
‘The Taliban has demonstrated contempt for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, through a campaign of sustained and systematic oppression,’ she said.
‘We have heard the calls of Afghan women and we are committed to defending their human rights and amplifying their voices.’