Mitra Mehran, a human rights activist and founder of the Afghanistan Justice Archive, has described restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls in Afghanistan as part of a “systematic and institutionalised” system of gender-based repression.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Ms Mehran said the Taliban had imposed hundreds of restrictions and decrees since returning to power in August 2021, limiting women’s access to education, employment, healthcare, freedom of movement and freedom of expression.
She said the restrictions were not isolated or temporary measures, but were central to the Taliban’s system of governance.
Ms Mehran called on the international community to take steps towards recognising “gender apartheid” under international law and to respond more strongly to restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls.
