Advocacy Gathering: Coalition of the Federation of Afghan Journalists in Exile, Human Rights Activists, and Civil Society in Tehran

A number of exiled Afghan journalists, civil society members, and human rights activists residing in Iran gathered in Tehran to express their support for the global campaign led by Afghan women against gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

During this advocacy event, the participants condemned the Taliban’s institutionalization of gender apartheid, stating that the group has systematically erased women from all aspects of social, economic, and political life in the country.

Suvita Gohari, head of the Women’s Social, Civil, and Sports Organization and one of the event’s organizers, said: “Due to the Taliban’s relentless oppression and systemic discrimination, Afghan women and girls have been stripped of all basic human rights in society.” She warned that the continuation of such policies will have long-term psychological effects on women and girls, which in turn will harm the future of Afghan society.

Omid Pouya, Iran-based representative of the Federation of Afghan Journalists in Exile and co-organizer of the event, stated: “Forcing women and girls to remain at home will dry up the roots of education and healthy upbringing in families.” He added that the Taliban’s misogynistic practices will bring lasting damage to Afghan society and burden future generations.

Pouya called on the international community and the United Nations to act before it is too late. “The world must not allow Afghan women to remain imprisoned within four walls. Their lost rights must be restored, and they must be given the opportunity to re-enter all spheres of public life.”

The resolution of the gathering was read by Halima Pazhwak, head of the Republican Afghan Women’s Civil Society Network. In it, she stated that the Taliban have issued 56 repressive decrees targeting women, effectively imprisoning them in their homes. The resolution denounced the normalization of practices such as imprisonment, torture, rape, and systemic discrimination against women in Afghanistan.

It further emphasized that the Taliban describe their campaign of gender apartheid as a “jihad for the sake of God,” which constitutes a gross violation of basic human rights. The global community, it urged, must not remain silent in the face of these crimes.

The resolution concluded with a call to action for countries that uphold freedom of expression and human rights to break their silence and take meaningful steps to halt the ongoing abuse of women in Afghanistan.

This global campaign against gender apartheid, launched recently by civil society and human rights activists in various countries, aims to advocate for the restoration of Afghan women’s rights and to end their oppression under the Taliban regime.