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

Apr 28, 2023

The stark choice facing the United States in Afghanistan: Leave entirely or finish the job

By Davood Moradian

The release of the White House’s review of the chaotic 2021 troop withdrawal showed once again that the realities of Afghanistan and US partisan politics take precedence over President Biden's desire to permanently disentangle Washington from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan International Organizations

In the News

Apr 10, 2023

Sakhi in CNN: Afghan women banned from working for the U.N.

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Freedom and Prosperity

In the News

Apr 8, 2023

Rich Outzen quoted in the Washington Examiner on Afghanistan withdrawal

Afghanistan Conflict

MENASource

Mar 16, 2023

I was once denied an education in Iraq. This is why the Taliban’s prohibition on female education matters.

By Nibras Basitkey

As an Iraqi refugee who understands the importance of education, I recognize that achieving gender parity in education is critical for Afghanistan’s long-term economic growth and prosperity.

Afghanistan Education

In the News

Mar 3, 2023

Manza featured in Deutschen Welle on the role of cultural biases in the failed international military operation in Afghanistan

By John Manza

On March 3, Transatlantic Security Initiative nonresident senior fellow John Manza was quoted in Deutschen Welle on the role of cultural biases in the failed international military operation in Afghanistan (text in German).  

Afghanistan Defense Policy

SouthAsiaSource

Feb 2, 2023

For Pakistan, dealing with its Taliban problem is a walk on eggshells

By Javid Ahmad

Islamabad faces a lose-lose scenario against the Pakistani Taliban. But it is not too late for Pakistan to stop peeling the banana from the wrong end.

Afghanistan Pakistan

In the News

Jan 27, 2023

Atwell in Modern War Institute

By Atlantic Council

On January 23, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Kyle Atwell hosted a podcast examining the lessons that the US military, and in particular the US Army, should take from the twenty-war year in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan Conflict

In the News

Jan 19, 2023

Younus in Newlines Institute: With no help from Kabul, Pakistan faces the TTP threat

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Pakistan

In the News

Jan 13, 2023

Samad in The Diplomat: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is back. Washington should take note.

By Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Pakistan

MENASource

Jan 12, 2023

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are cooperating with the Taliban. But their approaches to Afghanistan are different. 

By Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco and Kristian P. Alexander

All Gulf Cooperation Council states have come to terms with the reality of Taliban rule in Afghanistan since August 2021 and must pragmatically deal with the situation on the ground.

Afghanistan Indo-Pacific

Experts