A women’s protest movement said ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8 that women in Afghanistan are living under a system that systematically denies them their fundamental rights.
In a statement, the group known as the Afghan Women’s Cry Movement said the situation facing women in the country goes beyond discrimination and amounts to what it described as “systematic gender apartheid.”
The movement said women have been deliberately excluded from much of the country’s social, political and economic life.
“We believe that removing women from society will lead to stagnation, poverty and darkness,” the group said in the statement. “No system can achieve stability by ignoring women, and no future can be built without their free and equal participation.”
The activists called on the international community, human rights organizations and global institutions to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan as a crime against humanity and to take immediate steps to address the situation.
International Women’s Day, observed on March 8 and recognized by the United Nations, is intended to highlight women’s political, social and economic achievements while raising awareness about gender equality and discrimination.
But members of the movement said the day carries a deeper meaning for Afghan women, who face sweeping restrictions under Taliban rule.
For them, the statement said, the day symbolizes resistance against structural discrimination and systemic violence.
“Despite threats and restrictions, Afghan women continue to stand and struggle for the right to live freely,” the statement said. “Silence is not our choice; resistance is our choice.”
