Afghan women without rights: Activist demands international help!

Afghan women without rights: Activist demands international help!

In Afghanistan, women and girls suffer massive discrimination due to the restrictive measures of Taliban. According to the Afghan activist Tahmina Salik, who takes part in a conference in Vienna, girls can only be taught until the 6th grade and have lost access to secondary schools and universities. Afghanistan has made this situation the only country in which school visit is completely forbidden for women and girls. Salik emphasizes that women are not allowed to travel without male accompaniment and that leaving the house is severely restricted. Public speaking of women is not allowed, which leads to a complete silence of their voices in society. This information is recorded in a report by the Kleine Zeitung.

The sufferings of the Afghan women are immense: many have been locked up, tortured or even raped. The censorship of the media has further difficult, since most Afghan media are now under the control of the Taliban regime. Protests have mainly shifted to the Internet, whereby there is afraid that the Internet will be switched off, which would threaten the communication channels to diaspora. Salik calls on the world to recognize the shocking conditions in Afghanistan and criticize the silence of the international community.

systematic oppression and international responsibility

The UN has also identified the situation as a "gender apartheid", a term that describes high levels of discrimination, which are exposed to millions of women and girls worldwide. The UN Women call for enforcing global actions to combat the injustices that are legitimized by the Islamic legal system of the Taliban. Accordingly, more than half of Afghan women experience a massive restriction of their social participation due to the ban on education. Statistics show alarming numbers: 1.1 million girls are excluded from school, and over 100,000 women were denied access to universities, which increases the risk of mothers and newborns by at least 50%.

The empowerment for women is a central concern that is also noticed at an international level. The discussion about the legal protection of Afghan women has won over the past few months. A decisive judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has recognized the systematic suppression of women in Afghanistan as gender -specific persecution and confirms that Afghan women do not have to demonstrate individual persecution in the asylum procedure. This is a big step towards protection for Afghan women in Europe, which was taken in response to the discriminatory laws enforced by the Taliban.

international arrest warrants and further steps

On January 23, 2025, the chief bank led by the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested international arrest warrants against the leaders of the Taliban for gender -specific persecution. This requirement underlines the need not to leave human rights violations with impunity. The international arrest warrants are a sign that the persecution of Afghan women is assessed as "never before" and "persistent". The ICC is dependent on the cooperation between member states, but a strong signal is sent that such crimes should be brought to court.

In addition to the legal developments, activists and legal experts are increasingly committed to the international recognition of gender-apartheid. A new convention on crime against humanity is currently discussed by the sixth committee of the UN General Assembly, whereby the inclusion of the term "gender-apartheid" is required. This initiative is intended to recognize gender -specific discrimination as apartheid crimes and thus strengthen the rights of women and girls worldwide.

The situation in Afghanistan remains alarming and requires much more international attention and action. The voices of the activists such as Tahmina Salik are crucial to make the reality of oppression visible. She appeals to the world not only to watch, but actively act to help the women and girls in need of protection in Afghanistan.