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

SouthAsiaSource

Jul 15, 2022

Pakistan must stop accommodating the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan

By Neha Ansari

Regardless of the outcome of this latest round of negotiations, Pakistan will have further provided legitimacy to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, which is responsible for killing and traumatizing thousands of Pakistani civilians and soldiers. Even if these talks succeed, Pakistan will lose. 

Afghanistan Pakistan

In the News

Jul 6, 2022

Nawaz in NBC News: The Taliban have dug up the car their founding leader used to escape after the U.S.-led invasion

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Politics & Diplomacy

SouthAsiaSource

Jun 21, 2022

Experts react: India hosts Shanghai Cooperation Organisation border security meeting

By Atlantic Council Experts

From June 15 through June 17, 2022, India hosted a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to discuss regional border management and security. We reached out to our experts for their thoughts on this pivotal meeting and its implications for regional security.

Afghanistan China

SouthAsiaSource

Jun 10, 2022

Negotiating with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan is a bad idea

By Syed Ali Zia Jaffery

Pakistan’s information minister confirmed ongoing peace talks between the government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, it is important to stress that this dialogue is not advantageous for Pakistan.

Afghanistan Conflict
Mass of Afghan people standing in a crowd

Issue Brief

Jun 9, 2022

Lessons from Afghanistan for Western state-building in a multipolar world

By Abdul Waheed Ahmad and Dr. Gabriella Lloyd

The emergent multipolar world has created new challenges for Western liberal democratic diplomats and leaders. Among these challenges is how to continue to support developing allies in a political landscape where these allies are facing growing, existential threats from powerful, authoritarian anti-liberal states. 

Afghanistan Economy & Business

SouthAsiaSource

Jun 7, 2022

Hakimi on confronting new realities in Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Economy & Business

SouthAsiaSource

Jun 1, 2022

Afghanistan’s security crisis and implications

By South Asia Center

The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center brings together a panel of experts to discuss Afghanistan’s security implications and the country's future.

Afghanistan Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

May 26, 2022

Hakimi with Al Jazeera on current violence in Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Economy & Business

In the News

May 25, 2022

Darnal in Inkstick: The Global South and the war in Ukraine

By Atlantic Council

On May 25, Aude Darnal was quoted in the monthly edition of “Adults in a Room,” a series from Inkstick Media in collaboration with the New American Engagement Initiative. This month’s installment focused on the Global South’s perspectives on the war in Ukraine. “The new multipolar world, in which non-Western states will legitimately have greater […]

Afghanistan Conflict

In the News

May 19, 2022

Hakimi with Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Hostilities Grow Between Taliban And Tajikistan Amid Border Closure, Truck Seizures

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Politics & Diplomacy

Experts