With 56 active conflicts in the world, it has become easy for certain groups to suffer in silence. Without social media and freedom of press, Afghanistan under the Taliban has been facing a crisis of unreported suffering, with no one suffering more than women.
Amnesty International and the United Nations have legally defined the situation as gender apartheid – a crime against humanity. Yet these crimes are met with silence from the international community.
On the four-year anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, we are addressing this silence, its impact on Afghan women & girls, and how we can change this uncertain future.
When the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan in August 2021, they immediately imposed restrictions on women, including a ban on secondary education, a mandatory dress code of the burqa, a ban on sports, and the denial of access to public spaces – amongst others. These restrictions, whilst continuously decried by the United Nations, have led to little reaction from the international community.
While sanctions have been imposed by adversary states, evidence suggests the overwhelming majority of people suffering from these sanctions are those at the lowest end of the economic spectrum. In 2023, the OPHI reported that 62% of the Afghan population were living in multidimensional poverty, up from 50.8% in 2020 – that equates to 25 million people – and 90% of the population have food insecurity. Another basic human right thrown out the window.
Crippling sanctions have pushed the country’s population further into poverty, particularly restrictions on aid, which most of the country is now reliant on. The prevention of women from working has left them disproportionately affected by the economic crisis – especially for women-run households who now have no ability to earn money. Furthermore, the ban on women from working at NGOs has negatively impacted the ability of humanitarian organisations to reach vulnerable women & girls. Clearly sanctions are not the solution.
Meanwhile, the latest round of restrictions in early 2025 included the prohibition of women speaking, singing and reciting in public – as well as complete clothing restrictions. These restrictions have an enormously damaging effect on women & girls – socially, intellectually and medically.
As far back as 2018, the BBC was reporting on “why female suicide in Afghanistan is so prevalent”, and now, estimates by the World Health Organisation suggest that 80% of suicide attempts are made by women, with 68% of women reporting their mental health as “bad or very bad”. Alison Davidian, the Afghan UN Women representative, has stated “we are witnessing a moment where growing numbers of women and girls see death as preferable to living under the current circumstances.” This statement alone should cause international outrage.
On the subject of medical health, the systematic denial of education to generations of girls, paired with restrictions on female healthcare, is imminently leading to a situation in which swathes of the country do not have the means to see a doctor. Must Afghan women and girls simply suffer in silence?
We must ask ourselves, how can we consider ourselves feminists when the rights of others do not concern us? Is it only western women who bear the privilege of feminism, whilst others remain largely ignored? If so, what value does this ‘feminism’ truly hold?
The truth is, the oppression of women in Afghanistan relates to the oppression of women everywhere. Normalising gender-based discrimination gives precedent to other governments to make the same violations – and in recent years the parallels between the US and Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ grow only stronger. The Taliban’s brutal restrictions also showcase that women’s rights can never be guaranteed. They are easily taken, and must be rigorously defended.
It is undeniable, the Taliban is building a society that systematically targets and oppresses women, and the international community’s reluctance to condemn the situation and actively respond allows the regime to operate with impunity and continue its crackdowns, permanently weakening international law.
Additionally, prominent feminist organisations worldwide continuously fail to address and protect Afghan women and girls – rightly raising concerns over double standards between East and West. Do Afghan women not matter? What can the international community really do to protect Afghan women? In truth, the international community’s silence on the matter speaks volumes. Whilst many have notably called for greater rights for women – including Women for Afghan Women, Feminist Majority Foundation, UN Women, and the Malala Fund – there needs to be significantly more greater mainstream and governmental support, including greater representation by major news channels and broadcasters.
Perhaps the most obvious and convenient thing we can collectively do as the “international community” is recognise that there is in fact a gender apartheid being created in Afghanistan. Educating the masses is by no means an easy feat, but it would allow greater understanding for all, and most likely better treatment of Afghan refugees internationally. At this moment, I reflect upon the chant “the people, united, will never be defeated” – a pro-Palestine chant, but applicable to all. Greater education allows for greater reaction.
More collaboration with international feminist groups will help put Afghan women & girls back on the discussion table, forcing governments to address the issue instead of turning a blind eye. Greater pressure from groups, and calls for investigations and prosecution of the individuals responsible for these crimes in Afghanistan, will send a powerful message that this kind of systematic oppression will not be normalised.
Of course, the power lies in the government, and until the world powers decide to implement targeted and crippling sanctions on the Taliban itself, Afghan women will suffer. Better treatment of women must be demanded in all discourse with the Taliban, so that women can return to meaningfully participating in society. When it comes to sanctions, we need more international arms embargoes, more financial restrictions & the freezing of assets of individuals – rather than the entirety of Afghan society, and of course, sanctions on the illegal revenue streams upon which much of the Taliban is financed, most notably narcotics. Sanctions must be focused on corrupt officials and not simply a blanket ban on all Afghans.
Finally, and perhaps the easiest option for the general public, is to provide better protection for Afghan women & girls fleeing gender persecution. This includes humanitarian visas and greater financial, educational, and cultural support for refugees looking to resettle outside of the country.
This month marks four years since the Taliban’s return to power. Four years of brutal oppression towards each and every Afghan woman and child. Perhaps it’s time to put that on the agenda. We all have a voice, it’s time to use it. Write to your MP, support Afghan’s in your community, donate to emergency appeals, and spread the word via social media.
Written by: Midnight Adams
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References
Afghanistan: The toll of Taliban laws on Afghan women’s mental health: ‘I break down at night on my prayer mat. Every day, the morality police insult me’ | International
Azizi, H. (2024) ‘The nature and extent of the Taliban’s involvement in the drug trade before and after the regime change (1994–2022): insights from experts’, Small Wars & Insurgencies, 35(8), pp. 1417–1445. doi: 10.1080/09592318.2024.2381847.
https://womenforwomen.org.uk/how-you-can-take-action-women-afghanistan