August marks a sobering anniversary of three years since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Under Taliban rule, the rights of Afghan women and girls continue to be diminished to the point where they are treated more as property instead of people.
Last week, the Taliban in Afghanistan announced new so-called modesty rules that would remove women and girls even more from the public square than they already were. According to these rules, women’s and girls’ voices (including singing, reciting or reading aloud) or uncovered faces are not allowed in public. This new series of rules layers on top of previous restrictions banning girl’s access to education or their right to work or support their families. At this point the Taliban have made abundantly clear that women do not have a space in Afghan society.
This is of course both a tragedy and an outrage. It reflects a global tool of authoritarian regimes who fear their people, especially the power of women, who make up over half of the population around the world. We also see this in Iran as the regime uses the compulsory hijab and other restrictions to control women and girls that can lead to imprisonment, torture and even death.
The world cannot stand by and ignore the plight of Afghan women and girls or what’s happening in Iran and other countries where women are marginalized, under threat or pushed to the very sidelines of society. IRI is proud to continue to invest in supporting women leaders in political and civic life through our Women’s Democracy Network (WDN). Women – and especially women-led movements – are one of the most powerful catalysts for the advancement of free and fair societies.
We will continue to stand by these brave women who are the greatest hope for the future of Afghanistan and other democratic societies globally. WDN continues to work to connect and mobilize women to learn from their peers including through programs like the Afghan and Iranian Women’s Coalition, a collaboration created by the George W. Bush Institute and WDN for diverse women leaders within these two diaspora communities. This intimate exchange brings together coalition members to share best practices, present policy recommendations, and amplify their calls for democracy, gender equity, and human rights.
These brave women will continue to show the international community that the treatment of women in places like Afghanistan and Iran is the equivalent of gender apartheid. Our coalition is proud to work alongside global efforts, spearheaded by women like Masih Alinejad, to continue to make the case through the END GENDER APARTHEID movement before global policy makers to expand the definition of apartheid to include gender hierarchies.
The full participation of women and girls in societies is fundamental to the ability to have peaceful and prosperous societies. We will continue the fight for women’s equality not just in Afghanistan and Iran, but around the world. The future depends on it.
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