As the Taliban marks the second anniversary of its rise to power in August 2021, they claim that things have gotten better for the people of Afghanistan, trumpeting what they see as their accomplishments in terms of safety, the economy, and peace, or at least the absence of war.

But these claims are at odds with the experiences of the women and girls of Afghanistan, who every watch their rights continue to dissipate. It started with the Taliban prohibiting girls from attending secondary school. Then they moved on to dictating how women could dress. And as time has gone by, they have continued to chip away at all aspects of women’s rights and fundamental freedoms. These days, Afghan women can’t leave the house without familiarizing themselves with the Taliban’s latest rules, both to figure out what they can do in public, and to ensure they’ll be able to make it back home safely.

I came across a quote recently that poignantly describes one of the core consequences of this ever-evolving loss of freedoms: isolation. American surgeon Atul Gawandae said: “Human beings are social creatures. We are social not just in the trivial sense that we like company, and not just in the obvious sense that we each depend on others. We are social in a more elemental way: simply to exist as a normal human being requires interaction with other people.”

To strip Afghan women and girls of the rights to study, to work, to socialize, even to leave the house on their own terms is to force them into isolation.

Over the past 20 years, Afghan women got a taste freedom and democracy, only to have all of those ideals ripped away by the Taliban based on its own interpretation of religious laws. At first, the women and girls of Afghanistan stood up for themselves, and stood against the Taliban. They protested in the streets, in the face of Taliban guns. But the more they resisted, the more aggressively the regime chipped away at their rights. They put their lives on the line to show the international community how bleak their prospects had become under the Taliban.

When world leaders condemned the Taliban’s treatment of women the regime claimed they were acting in accordance with their religious beliefs and cultural paradigms. They said it was an internal matter and that other countries should stay out of it.

In June, the UN Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, with a focus on the rights of women and girls. The dialogue covered a wealth of indignation. Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, described the backlash against Afghanistan’s women and girls as “profound and all-encompassing.” saying: “Edict after edict had been issued, erasing women and girls from public life and preventing them from accessing and enjoying their fundamental rights and freedoms.” Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, opined that the council must “do everything in its power to restore, protect and promote the rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan.”

For the women who daily mourn the loss of their freedom, it was inspiring to watch and listen to this session, to see that so many countries are monitoring the situation in Afghanistan, and to know that they are speaking up in solidarity with Afghan women and girls.

But to be frank: words and statements are not enough. As dialogues carry on, Afghan Women and girls are losing their days and nights imprisoned at home.

Less than a month after the abovementioned council session, the Taliban issued yet another decree against women, this time banning all beauty salons across the country.  Once again, the walls of our these women’s perpetual house arrest thicken. Not only does this decree compromise the abilities of women to express their gender as they see fit; it further robs them of the ability to gather with other women.

Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director for Human Rights Watch, said: “This isn’t about getting your hair and nails done. This is about 60,000 women losing their jobs. This is about women losing one of the only places they could go for community and support after the Taliban systematically destroyed the whole system put in place to respond to domestic violence.”

And while beauty salons have historically been a place of levity, of community, the darker roots of the Taliban’s views of the value of women are visible at every turn.

Recently, a Taliban provincial leader, Zainul Abidin, bought a 16-year-old bride for 2.5 million Afghani (~$30,000) and six acres of land. In short, the Taliban has reached the point of buying women and girls like goods. The international community’s milquetoast response serves only to embolden the Taliban in its quest to subjugate women entirely.

And this is where the issue of isolation once again becomes relevant. Afghan women and girls are enduring a form of gender-based persecution that may at first appear to be isolated to Afghanistan. However, if the global community fails to oppose this, it could escalate like a contagious outbreak, affecting all countries in its wake.

Mere statements and expressions of condemnation fall short.  As the Taliban celebrates two years in power, it is crucial for the world to take decisive action.