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

In the News

Feb 3, 2022

Warrick joins NBC News to discuss the Afghan refugee crisis and the SIV program

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Civil Society

Event Recap

Feb 3, 2022

Event recap: Women’s role in the future of Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council

On January 19, the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and the US-Afghan Women’s Council co-hosted a conversation on women’s role in the future of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Civil Society

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 1, 2022

Afghanistan needs a political roadmap to reduce economic hardship

By Omar Samad

Afghans in general are aware that inside the country the Taliban are in the driver’s seat, but the vehicle cannot go far without having other major constituencies onboard as part of a new social contract.

Afghanistan Economy & Business

In the News

Jan 31, 2022

Warrick on NBC to discuss Afghan refugees

By Atlantic Council

Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Thomas Warrick discusses the progress of the White House and DHS in helping Afghan refugees.

Afghanistan Crisis Management

In the News

Jan 26, 2022

Ahmad in the Middle East Institute: “The Taliban’s religious roadmap for Afghanistan”

By South Asia Center

Afghanistan Human Rights

In the News

Jan 22, 2022

Slavin quoted in TRT World on Taliban-Iran relations

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Iran

In the News

Jan 20, 2022

Ashford in Foreign Affairs: America Needs a Bolder Biden

By Atlantic Council

On January 20, Emma Ashford authored an article in Foreign Affairs on the first year of foreign policy in the Biden administration. Ashford made the case for more bold thinking and willingness to push for lasting foreign policy change, pointing to the authority displayed in ending the war in Afghanistan as an ambitious approach to be replicated. More about our expert

Afghanistan English

New Atlanticist

Jan 20, 2022

Pakistan’s ‘Praetorian’ state is a troubling model for a Taliban-led Afghanistan

By Ben Acheson

If the Taliban emulates Pakistan’s Praetorian model, it will further erode all work done to grow a healthy Afghan civil society and develop civilian institutions.

Afghanistan Democratic Transitions

In the News

Jan 19, 2022

Azodi quoted in Al-Monitor on Iran’s potential recognition of Afghanistan’s Taliban government

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Economy & Business

SouthAsiaSource

Jan 12, 2022

The Afghan Taliban aren’t likely to give up the TTP. Here’s why.

By Fahd Humayun

This week, a commander of the anti-Pakistan terrorist outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was killed by sniper fire in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, Afghanistan’s new ruling dispensation under the Afghan Taliban is unlikely to have had a hand in the hit, despite Islamabad’s insistence that the new regime take action against the outlawed terrorist group.

Afghanistan Indo-Pacific

Experts