The ECJ said some measures, in themselves, were acts of persecution.
"This is true of forced marriage, which is comparable to a form of slavery, and the lack of protection against gender-based violence and domestic violence, which constitute forms of inhuman and degrading treatment," the court said in its statement on Friday.
It added that other measures, which may not be sufficiently serious to be classified as breaches of fundamental rights when taken on their own, did constitute a breach when taken cumulatively.
The ECJ also ruled that authorities in EU member states do not need to establish whether Afghan women will be subjected to persecution if they return home, on an individual basis. Instead, the court said that "it is sufficient to take into account her nationality and gender alone."
Great legal precedent, especially since it should be valid for all countries that fall under this. I still remember the images when the US left Afghanistan and all those women begged at the airport for evacuation, and to at least take their children with them... :(