Women in resistance: fight against gender-apartheid in Afghanistan!

Women in resistance: fight against gender-apartheid in Afghanistan!

Kabul, Afghanistan - May 22, 2025 is a striking day in the argument about human rights in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021, the situation has deteriorated dramatically for women and girls. The Taliban have implemented a system of targeted oppression, which the United Nations referred to as gender apartheid. Afghan women have started to start campaigns in order to have this oppression recognized internationally. Tahmina Salik, a prominent spokeswoman for Danish Afghan Women Diaspora Forum, will report on the situation as part of a conference in the Vienna City Hall on May 23 and 24 and at the same time point out hope in Afghan youth who wants to work for a better future.

Salik explains that the protests of women were brutally suppressed by the Taliban, but emphasizes the unbroken will of the younger generation to fight for their rights. A policy letter from the VIDC Global Dialogue addresses the oppression of women and girls and asks the international community to recognize gender-apartheid as a crime against humanity. VIDC director Sybille Straubinger describes the current situation in Afghanistan as an unprecedented fracture of civilization.

The effects of Taliban rule

The Taliban has tightened countless laws against women since returning to power. A new virtue law obliges women to cover their bodies and face, to speak loudly for women, and they are only allowed to leave the house accompanied by a male relative. This has led to a drastic restriction of access to education: girls have been excluded from the universities since December 20, 2022 and school training for girls is limited to six years.

Freedom to move publicly was severely restricted; Women have no access to amusement parks or sports facilities. Reports on the arrest and torture of women who violate these regulations are not uncommon. In addition, society suffers from poverty, which particularly affects women, who are often the main suffering of the current situation. Many fathers have made these circumstances to search for ways, to secretly train their daughters or to bring them abroad.

struggle and hope

Despite the oppression, there are reports of women who are actively in public. Parvina Tadjibaeva, who has headed Caritas International's office in Kabul since late summer in 2024, observes a mixture of resignation and request to resist. Tadjibaeva tries to educate her male colleagues about women's rights; Some express the wish that their daughters could be active and equal in society.

The international community is responsible for defending the rights of women in Afghanistan. There are several approaches to put pressure on the Taliban, including the use of international human rights agreements and diplomatic pressure. In the long term it is recommended to support young women through online universities to give them access to education that was prevented by the Taliban.

The upcoming conference in Vienna will focus on the precarious situation of Afghan women and their rights to education and work at the center of the discussion. Interested parties can register at office@akiseu.org and take part in this important exchange.