Women Towards Freedom Movement: The Taliban’s Gender Apartheid Must Be Recognized

The resolution, released on Thursday, March 6, emphasizes that March 8 is not only an opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements but also a reminder of ongoing struggles. The movement stated: “While women in many parts of the world fight for equality, Afghan women are facing the most severe forms of discrimination, repression, and the stripping of human rights.”

The "Women Towards Freedom" movement, highlighting the repressive policies of the Taliban, stated that since the group’s takeover of Afghanistan, women have been systematically deprived of even their most basic rights. The resolution reads: “The Taliban, through banning education and employment for women, imposing severe restrictions on individual and social freedoms, and ruthlessly suppressing any form of protest, have imposed a gender apartheid system on Afghan society. These policies not only constitute a blatant violation of human rights but are also an organized crime against Afghan women.”

The movement has urged international organizations, governments, the United Nations, and human rights groups to break their silence in the face of this “blatant injustice” and to take practical measures to support Afghan women.

In the resolution, the "Women Towards Freedom" movement calls for the recognition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan and demands strong action against the Taliban as a “repressive regime.”

The movement stresses the need for legal and political pressure on the Taliban to immediately lift the educational, employment, and social restrictions on women, and calls for the creation of educational, work, and asylum opportunities for Afghan women and girls who suffer from repression and discrimination. It also demands the protection of women activists and human rights defenders, both inside Afghanistan and abroad, who are under threat from the Taliban.

The resolution further clarifies that any international engagement with the Taliban must be conditional on the guarantee of equal rights for women and an end to their repressive policies.

In conclusion, the "Women Towards Freedom" movement emphasized that the struggle for women’s rights is part of the global fight for human dignity, justice, and progress. The movement stated: “We, the women of Afghanistan, will never submit to tyranny. A day will come when the women of this land, like other women in the world, will live, study, and work in the shadow of freedom and equality.”