Nobel peace laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai has condemned the Taliban’s treatment of women in Afghanistan as “gender apartheid”, saying women are being punished simply for demanding their basic rights.
Yousafzai, who in 2014 became the youngest ever Nobel laureate for her work campaigning for access to education, said terms like gender discrimination were insufficient to describe the scale of the oppression the Taliban have imposed on women and girls.
“The Taliban have issued over 100 decrees, the majority of which target women, and these restrictions represent an extreme form of gender oppression that we must call gender apartheid,” she said at an event in London to mark World Press Freedom Day.
Human rights defenders have been pressing for the recognition of gender apartheid – systemic oppression on the basis of gender – as a crime in international law to address what they say is a gap in the global legal framework.
Yousafzai was speaking at an event organised by Rukhshana Media, whose founder Zahra Joya described the Taliban’s treatment of women as “extremely harsh and brutal.”
Since returning to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have shut down access to education and jobs for women and girls over primary school age, laid down strict dress rules and severely restricted their freedom of movement.
“These restrictions are essentially an all-out war against women, against gender, and gender equality. That is why human rights and women’s rights activists are calling for the recognition of gender apartheid,” said Joya during the event, entitled “Afghan Media vs. the Taliban”.
Joya said the Taliban’s efforts to suppress independent media had made the independent reporting carried out by Rukhshana Media’s journalists all the more crucial. “It matters to them to break the silence because Afghan women have been forced into silence,” she added.
The Malala Fund, which Yousafzai founded with her father after she was shot on her school bus by a Taliban gunman and the family fled Pakistan for the United Kingdom, works to strengthen girls’ access to education globally.
In neighbouring Afghanistan, the Taliban banned secondary education for girls just weeks after they retook power in 2021. Yousafzai said the Malala Fund was now providing alternative education opportunities for girls in Afghanistan and would continue to stand alongside Afghan women, amplifying their calls for justice.
At the event, she paid tribute to the journalists in Afghanistan who have continued to report on the treatment of women by the Taliban despite the risks.
“Women in Afghanistan have been silenced due to Taliban restrictions. While journalists — especially female journalists — are threatened by the Taliban, they continue to risk their lives to be the voice of women,” said Yousafzai.
She expressed admiration for the resilience of Afghan women and girls who continue to live their lives in the face of Taliban restrictions on education, employment, and the basic rights of women and girls, and described Rukhshana Media as “the voice of Afghan women”.
“Despite threats and dangers, Rukhshana Media reports on the violation of women’s rights, documenting how women activists are imprisoned and tortured, and recording everything,” she added.
Yousafzai called on the world to fully support Afghan women journalists, recognizing their crucial role in sharing the stories of Afghan women.
The event marked Rukhshana Media’s first major gathering in London and was aimed at amplifying the voices of women, particularly female journalists, under Taliban rule.
Approximately 100 human rights activists, journalists, representatives of international media, and influential individuals — including Afghans living in the UK — attended the event.
