Jacqui True, Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW), condemned the Taliban’s actions in Afghanistan, stating that they have reinstituted “systematic gender apartheid” in the country.
Speaking about the dire situation, True emphasized that the Taliban’s restrictions have severely limited basic freedoms for women and girls, particularly in education, employment, and mobility.
True noted that the Taliban’s policies force Afghan women into oppressive conditions, with little choice but to accept forced or early marriages. “When you don’t have the right to employment, mobility, or education—especially secondary education—you effectively lose control over your own life and body,” she said. True also pointed to the long-standing persecution of the Hazara minority in Afghanistan, further exacerbating human rights abuses.
The global push for the recognition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan has gained momentum, with women’s rights activists calling for accountability. At a recent event in Albania, activists demanded that the Taliban’s restrictions on women be classified as crimes, urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Taliban officials.
“We want to take practical steps as soon as possible to bring the Taliban to trial for gender apartheid,” said Hadia, a prominent women’s rights advocate at the event. She and other attendees called on the international community to immediately cease any engagement with the Taliban and instead focus on eliminating the group’s oppressive rule.
Recent actions by the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue have intensified restrictions on Afghan women, including a controversial law that effectively silences women in public spaces. According to reports, Taliban enforcers have begun questioning women on the streets, further fueling fears among the female population.
A Kabul resident, speaking anonymously, expressed frustration at the lack of international response. “For three years, the international community has remained silent while women and girls in Afghanistan have been stripped of their rights,” she said.
Human rights organizations have strongly condemned the Taliban’s new law, but the regime remains defiant. The Ministry of Vice and Virtue dismissed the criticism, insisting it will enforce the restrictions despite widespread opposition. As Afghan women continue to call for urgent international intervention, the global community faces mounting pressure to address the crisis.
