KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A group of Afghan women in Pakistan staged a protest in Islamabad on International Women’s Day, calling for the recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity.
The protesters accused the Taliban of systematically oppressing women and girls, arguing that their policies amount to gender apartheid. They urged the UN and international community to take urgent and decisive action to end restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan.
The demonstrators called for sanctions and increased pressure on the Taliban, support for women-led movements, and the creation of safe pathways for female activists at risk. They also appealed to Afghan citizens to stand in solidarity with women facing Taliban repression.
“Despite severe restrictions and constant threats, Afghan women continue to stage protests, engage in civil activism, and push for international advocacy,” the demonstrators said.
Several women’s rights groups and anti-Taliban activists worldwide also used International Women’s Day to reiterate calls for the recognition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghanistan has become one of the most repressive countries in the world for women and girls. The regime has imposed sweeping restrictions on their mobility, barred them from education and employment, and stripped them of basic freedoms.
Since then, Afghan women’s rights activists have repeatedly urged the UN and world leaders to recognize gender apartheid as a crime against humanity. However, no formal legal process has been initiated.
UN experts, rights groups, and activists widely agree that the Taliban’s systematic oppression of women amounts to gender apartheid—an institutionalized system designed to subjugate them solely based on their gender.
