Taliban's Gender Apartheid: A Crisis for Afghan Women

The group's reassertion of power has led to widespread gender-based apartheid, systematically limiting the role of women in both public and private life.

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Ever since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the rights of Afghan women have been systematically eroded. Under the previous government, women experienced advancements in education, work, and social freedoms, but those strides have been undone by the new Taliban regime, which has imposed an array of oppressive restrictions.

The group's reassertion of power has led to widespread gender-based apartheid, systematically limiting the role of women in both public and private life. The situation in Afghanistan has raised global concerns, with human rights organizations decrying the severe limitations placed on women, leading to accusations of "gender apartheid." This term encapsulates the state-sponsored segregation and exclusion of women from virtually every aspect of society, as the Taliban seeks to create a patriarchal system based on their interpretation of Islamic law. While the situation remains bleak, there have been signs of resistance from both within Afghanistan and from the global community.

Education Ban
One of the most disturbing policies that the Taliban has enacted is the complete ban on girls' education beyond the sixth grade. Since March 2022, Afghan girls have been forbidden from attending secondary and higher education institutions, leaving over 2.2 million girls without access to education. Afghanistan has become the only country in the world that systematically denies girls the right to receive an education, a reality that is devastating not just for the women, but for the entire nation's future.