Afghan women vow to tirelessly work until the Taliban are held accountable for gender apartheid in Afghanistan. In a step towards recognizing the crimes committed against half of the population, Amnesty International recently called for an end to the regime’s impunity:

In a powerful show of global solidarity, 354,847 signatures have been collected calling on the Taliban de-facto authorities to respect and protect human rights in Afghanistan. As the catastrophic human rights situation persists, we must continue our joint demand for accountability and justice in Afghanistan.

Since retaking control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has implemented an even harsher version of their 1990s rule. They’ve issued over 60 edicts, brutally attacking women’s rights in an institutionalized manner to maintain dominance by erasing women from daily life.

After more than 1,000 days of Taliban rule, they show no signs of reversing course. Reports indicate 4.3 million women and girls are now banned from pursuing education.

The result has attracted the attention of human rights advocates around the world. Heather Barr, Human Rights Watch’s associate director of Women’s Rights, said in a statement.

“Afghanistan will never fully recover from these 1,000 days. … The potential loss in this time – the artists, doctors, poets, and engineers who will never get to lend their country their skills – cannot be replaced. Every additional day, more dreams die.”

The Taliban’s oppressive system of gender apartheid extends beyond education to every aspect of Afghan women’s lives. A recent UN report stated, “The punishments attached to non-compliance with instructions and decrees are often arbitrary, severe and disproportionate. Sweeping bans with a discriminatory effect on women have been introduced. Human rights violations, as well as the unpredictability of enforcement measures, contribute to a climate of fear and intimidation among segments of the population.”

Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, emphasized, “The Taliban’s institutionalization of its system of oppression of women and girls, and the harms that it is continuing to entrench, should shock the conscience of humanity. These violations are so severe and extensive that they appear to form a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population which may amount to crimes against humanity. This attack is not only ongoing, it is intensifying.” Bennett urged an “all tools” approach to challenge and dismantle the Taliban’s system of gender oppression, including international accountability mechanisms like the International Criminal Court and national-level cases under universal jurisdiction.

The Taliban’s place is behind prison bars, not at negotiating tables. On June 30th, the UN invited the Taliban to Doha Talk III, excluding Afghan women and ignoring women’s rights issues in their agenda. This move was seen as despising the oppression of women’s rights in Afghanistan. The UN must act according to its fundamental principles and hold the Taliban accountable for their institutionalized crimes against women and girls.

Afghan women and girls deserve more than fear and intimidation. They deserve education, dreams, and a future unshackled by gender apartheid.

The author is an Afghan legal scholar whose identity cannot be revealed publicly due to concerns for their security.