KABUL — A group of activists gathered ahead of the new academic year, calling on the international community to take urgent action against the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education and their wider crackdown on women’s rights.
In a joint statement, issued by the Free Women’s Movement in Exile, led by Marghali Faqirzai, and the Powerful Women of Afghanistan Movement, the protesters urged global leaders and the United Nations to apply political pressure on the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for girls.
The women’s groups condemned the Taliban’s policies as oppressive and in violation of international human rights conventions.
“By denying girls an education, the Taliban have not only robbed them of their future but have also crippled Afghanistan’s chances for social and economic progress,” the statement read.
The protesters warned that the Taliban’s restrictions have institutionalized gender-based discrimination and violence, deepening Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
The activists urged the United Nations and world governments to take a firm stance against the Taliban’s treatment of women, rather than offering diplomatic engagement without consequences.
“The international community must move beyond statements of condemnation and take concrete steps to hold the Taliban accountable for their systematic violations of women’s rights,” they said.
They also called for legal protections and tangible support for Afghan women and girls, emphasizing that the world must not turn a blind eye to one of the most egregious gender apartheid regimes in modern history.
“Afghan women do not need empty promises. We need real action,” the statement concluded.
