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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is under increasing pressure to address Afghanistan's violations of women's rights. An international non-governmental group called Human Rights Watch (HRW), which studies and advocates for human rights violations by governments and non-state entities worldwide, has called on the ICC to suspend the Afghanistan Cricket Board's (ACB) membership.
HRW's letter to Jay Shah
"We are writing at this time to urge the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Taliban-run Afghanistan from ICC membership, and from participating in international cricket, until women and girls can once again participate in education and sport in the country. We also urge the ICC to implement a human rights policy based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights," HRW wrote in a letter to Jay Shah on March 7.
On the eve of the Champions Trophy final in Dubai, the letter arrives. The ICC chairman has been reminded by Minky Worden, Director of Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch, that the Taliban's prohibition on women's rights is against the Olympic charter because cricket has been included in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
"We note that cricket has been included as a sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, and yet the Taliban's ban on women and girls participating in the sport is a severe violation of the Olympic Charter's guarantee that "the practice of sport is a human right." The International Olympic Committee Strategic Framework on Human Rights calls all international sports federations to implement "equality and non-discrimination." The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights require remedy for gender-based discrimination in the workplace," the letter says.
All sports for girls and women are prohibited by the Taliban. In Australia, a few female Afghan cricket players are hiding.
"This disparate treatment in which the Afghan Men's National Cricket Team receives financial and logistical support and the Women's National Team does not-appears to violate both the Olympic Charter and the ICC's own anti-discrimination rules. In October 1999, during the Taliban's previous time in power, the International Olympic Committee suspended Afghanistan's National Olympic Committee until 2003 on grounds that the Taliban was barring women from competing in sports," HRW said.
Shah on Afghan women cricketers
Shah had already vowed to support women's cricket. "We are committed to supporting cricket development through the Afghanistan Cricket Board while recognising the challenges facing Afghan women's cricket, including the concerns of players living in exile," he told BBC recently.
"The ICC is also reviewing certain communications concerning Afghanistan women's cricket and exploring how they can be supported within ICC's legal and constitutional framework. Our focus is on constructive dialogue and viable solutions that safeguard the best interests of all Afghan cricketers," the BBC quoted him as saying.
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