On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Afghanistan’s women-led protest movements say the Taliban have transformed violence against women into a deliberate and systematic state policy.
In a statement released on Monday (November 24), the “Window of Hope Women’s Movement” said Afghan women have endured the “harshest forms of violence, repression, and systematic discrimination” over the past four years.
The “Afghan Women’s Political Participation Network” also said in a separate statement that violence and restrictions in Afghanistan have now become official policy. According to the network, women and girls face daily deprivation, exclusion, and various forms of violence across the country.
Referring to the Taliban’s bans on women’s education, employment, and public presence, the network stressed that no woman should be denied education, work, freedom, dignity, or security because of her gender.
The movement described the Taliban’s policies toward Afghan women as “crimes against humanity” and “gender apartheid”, calling for accountability.
The “United Afghan Women’s Movement for Freedom” stated that violence against women in Afghanistan is structural and multilayered, reproduced across family, legal, social, economic, and political spheres. The group added that over the past four years, Afghans women have faced unprecedented restrictions in modern history, including bans on education and employment, constraints on mobility and dress, and the arrest of disappearances of female activists.
According to the movement, these measures represent a clear violation of human rights and constitute systematic crimes against women.
The three protest movements called for strong international support for Afghan women, formal recognition of gender apartheid, accountability mechanisms for the Taliban, and an end to global silence in the face of escalating discrimination.
Since reclaiming power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s fundamental rights and freedoms, banning them from education and work and severely limiting their presence in public life.
