The Organization for World Peace (OWP) has urged the international community to take decisive action to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a society defined by gender apartheid.
The group called for increased efforts to amplify the voices of Afghan women and to support civic spaces, emphasizing the need to constructively engage with the Taliban without granting the regime legitimacy.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the rights of Afghan women and girls have been severely curtailed. The OWP noted that the restrictions, already extreme, were further codified under the Taliban’s “Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,” a morality order that has effectively erased women from public life.
“This dystopian law views Afghan women as instruments of temptation, mandating that they conceal their voices, faces, and bodies, while dictating their behavior and lifestyle,” the watchdog stated.
The organization highlighted that the erosion of political and media freedoms under Taliban rule has made combating oppression increasingly difficult. Those who dissent face censorship, arbitrary detention, and even torture, the OWP said, further stifling independent reporting and advocacy.
To counter these challenges, the OWP recommended bolstering Afghanistan’s civic space by providing financial and logistical support to local human rights organizations and non-governmental groups. These resources, the group argued, would strengthen civil society’s capacity to document human rights violations, conduct policy research, and advocate for meaningful change.
“Women are integral to the health and development of society,” the OWP stated. “Their continual exclusion and disempowerment will only hinder Afghanistan’s prospects for peace and prosperity.”
The watchdog also urged foreign governments to maintain pressure on the Taliban to improve women’s rights, while remaining cautious not to legitimize the regime.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have banned women and girls from pursuing education and employment, among other sweeping restrictions. Advocacy groups warn that the ongoing marginalization of women threatens to normalize a system of entrenched gender inequality, with devastating long-term consequences for Afghan society.
