Afghan women are denied health care, education and now a voice. But they will not remain silent.

Last month the Taliban passed a new “Vice and Virtue” bill that makes it illegal for women to speak in public and could also mean women could be punished if they are heard singing or reading out loud inside their homes.

It was approved by the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, and will be enforced by the Ministry of Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice.

Earlier this year, ahead of an international conference on Afghanistan’s future in Doha, Qatar, Roza Otunbayeva, head of the Afghanistan mission to the United Nations, said it would take time for the Taliban to accept women. The Taliban gave clear instructions, and the UN agreed, that women would not attend the conference.

But as gender experts have long argued, the Taliban leadership has not changed and never will. Three years after regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban’s efforts to openly exclude women from Afghan society have reached a new low.

Gender Apartheid

The Taliban’s proliferation of laws and practices that restrict the rights of women and girls is a clear example of gender apartheid, which is defined as a system of systematic oppression and domination on the basis of gender.

In the absence of a traditional legal framework in Afghanistan, the country is governed by an increasingly dense patchwork of statutes, policies and codified practices, some written and some transmitted orally.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have enacted more than 100 decrees, orders and directives that restrict the rights of women and girls. These apply to various jurisdictions, including the country, provinces and specific districts.

The most significant of these laws prohibit women and girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade, working in many institutions, and traveling certain distances to receive medical care.

Restrictions on women’s education

The ban on education for Afghan girls has had dire effects on their well-being. According to UN Women’s modelling, this correlates with a 25% increase in child marriage and a 45% increase in premature births. The loss of hope for young women is profound.

Civil society groups in Afghanistan and around the world launched a hashtag, “Let Afghan Girls Learn,” in opposition to the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education.

To continue girls’ education, numerous small organisations run underground schools, sometimes disguised as embroidery classes or other things acceptable to the Taliban.

However, despite these programs being primarily Afghan-led, the continued lack of funding for women-led organizations poses a serious obstacle to these programs.

A range of internationally accredited online programs have also been established, providing vital educational and employment opportunities to underrepresented Afghan women and girls.

But these online options remain limited, and it’s not just a matter of funding: Data shows that only 6 percent of Afghan women have access to the internet, and the Taliban are making it increasingly difficult for Afghans to access mobile phone SIM cards.

Harmful to women and children’s health

Women’s health is also suffering as highly skilled workers leave the country and international technical and financial assistance to Afghanistan’s public health system has declined sharply.

Human Rights Watch reports that “women and girls are disproportionately affected by the health crisis” in the country, particularly due to the Taliban’s violations of women’s rights.

For example, restrictions on women’s movement have limited their access to health facilities, leading to a sharp rise in maternal and infant mortality rates in recent years.

Data published in the British Medical Journal suggests that eight in 10 women living in urban areas report symptoms of depression and anxiety as a result of living under Taliban rule.

Fighting Silence

Over the past year, the Taliban have increasingly targeted women human rights defenders, “disappearing”, arbitrarily detaining them and subjecting them to severe ill-treatment in prison.

The Guardian recently published evidence of women being raped in prison.

In my own research, I have documented a pattern of the Taliban using sexual torture against imprisoned women human rights defenders, seeking to shame them into abandoning their activism and isolating them from the support of their families and communities.

But Afghan women continue to resist the draconian authorities that rule the country.

For example, in response to the latest “vice and virtue” laws, women across the country have been posting videos of themselves singing and reciting poetry on social media, showing that they cannot be silenced.

Some recite the Quran. Many wear traditional Afghan dress, some wear the Taliban-mandated burqas. But they sing to prove they exist – to show they are Afghan, not impure, no matter what the Taliban say.

Activists also continue to lobby for international recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity, and the International Criminal Court continues to investigate alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Taliban.

But Afghan women cannot be left alone in their fight. The international community must deliver on its promise to protect Afghan women’s rights defenders, and continue its long-term support, including through funding pathways, to women-led organizations that work with Afghan women.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.