Three years after the Taliban’s return to power on August 15, 2021, women in Afghanistan are treated as second-class citizens, systematically stripped of their rights. Over eighty decrees issued by the Taliban confine women to their homes and ban girls from attending school, turning Afghanistan into a prison for women and girls.

This gender apartheid is reinforced by new educational curricula and severe restrictions on women’s participation in every aspect of society. Women’s protests against these injustices have been met with harsh repression, including imprisonment, torture, and accusations of being influenced by foreign entities.

Inside the Taliban’s gender apartheid, a joint project of the Civic Engagement Project and the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, highlights the stories of women who have courageously resisted these injustices—women who have endured imprisonment and brutality for their peaceful demands for basic rights. By refusing to remain silent and shedding light on the violence they face, their testimonies serve as evidence in the fight for justice.

The women who have survived this regime are now calling for international recognition of the Taliban’s gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. This recognition would not only validate their suffering but could also challenge the Taliban’s grip on power and pave the way for transitional justice, offering a potential path to healing and justice for Afghan women and girls. 

The South Asia Center is the hub for the Atlantic Council’s analysis of the political, social, geographical, and cultural diversity of the region. ​At the intersection of South Asia and its geopolitics, SAC cultivates dialogue to shape policy and forge ties between the region and the global community.

Content

Inside the Taliban's gender apartheid

Nov 25, 2024

A protester’s story from inside a Taliban prison

By Narges Sadat

Narges Sadat recounts the conditions she was forced to endure in a Taliban prison for protesting Afghanistan’s gender apartheid regime.

Afghanistan Human Rights

MENASource

Sep 10, 2024

In the age of great power competition, the threat of another 9/11 still looms large

By Kristian Alexander

Unlike the early years of the Global War on Terror, threats today are more amorphous and more deeply embedded within local conflicts.

Afghanistan Conflict

Inside the Taliban's gender apartheid

Aug 26, 2024

The Taliban’s violence ‘ignited a fierce resistance within me.’ A protester’s story.

By Nayra Kohestani

Nayra Kohestani recounts the abuse and imprisonment she and her children suffered for resisting the Taliban’s gender apartheid regime.

Afghanistan Human Rights

In the News

Aug 24, 2024

Azadah Raz Mohammad joins NPR to discuss Taliban codes on men and women’s dress

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Civil Society

New Atlanticist

Aug 14, 2024

I was imprisoned and tortured by the Taliban for protesting gender apartheid in Afghanistan

By Zholia Parsi

Zholia Parsi describes protesting against gender apartheid in Afghanistan after the Taliban returned and abuse she faced as a result.

Afghanistan Human Rights

In the News

Jun 16, 2024

Nia joins Afghanistan International to discuss human rights

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Arabic
Chief Warrant Officer Richard Infusino, a Falcon Team pilot, packs up his gear after landing one of five new UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopters at Hohenfels Army Airfield April 21. The new helicopters will replace the post's aging fleet of UH-1 ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)

Issue Brief

Jun 11, 2024

Friend-sourcing military procurement: Technology acquisition as security cooperation

By James Hasik

Jim Hasik reviews the nine cases of US "friend-sourcing" of major military systems and finds they brought good quality, speed, and economy.

Afghanistan Defense Industry

IranSource

Jun 3, 2024

Shia Afghans are being brought to Iran to make up for the lack of religious Iranians

By Saeid Golkar and Kasra Aarabi

The mass participation of Shia Afghans at regime-organized events sheds light on how the Islamic Republic is proactively using Afghan migrants to foster a loyal constituency and fill the widening gap between the state and Iranian society.

Afghanistan Conflict
The family members of Um al-Banin, who was killed in a suicide attack in a tutoring center in Dasht-e-Barchi district in the west of Kabul, pray at her grave in Kabul, Afghanistan, October 2, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

Memo to...

May 16, 2024

Memo to the UN secretary-general: Establish a UN conflict prevention mechanism for the Afghanistan region

By Laurie Nathan and Nilofar Sakhi

The risk of conflict between Afghanistan and its neighbors has been rising since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, and is now at a critical point. The UN has tools that have lowered the risk of major conflict in other tense neighborhoods. It's time to deploy them for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Central Asia

In the News

May 8, 2024

Sales quoted in Arab News on resurgent terror groups in Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Middle East

Experts