Empowering Afghan women and children as leaders of change

Afghan women have been stripped of their fundamental human rights, including access to education, employment, freedom of movement and public participation.

As the new school year begins in Afghanistan, nearly 400,000 more girls are being denied education, bringing the total number of out-of-school girls to 2.2 million. This significant milepost undermines two decades of progress achieved by women’s rights activists, who fought tirelessly to secure a place at the table and ensure their voices were heard.

During the US occupation of Afghanistan between 2001-2021, Afghan women endured cycles of violence, instability and fragile gains. Women and families paid the price in areas where conflict was more prevalent.

Schools were closed, families displaced and young schoolgirls lost their lives amid the inhumane atrocities committed.

Yet, even in the face of chaos, Afghan women – particularly in urban and semi-urban areas – have fought tirelessly for their rights and rightful place in society. The country once had female students, judges, lawyers, midwives, politicians and many more women contributing to various fields.

While women and girls saw progress these two decades – increasing numbers entering workplaces and classrooms – the Taliban’s return after the US withdrawal from the country in 2021 reversed these fragile gains.

That year, Afghanistan ranked 156th out of 156 countries on the Global Gender Gap Report and was ranked the worst-performing country on the index again in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, the country did not have enough data to make it into the report.

Today, Afghanistan has traded an end to active war for a regime defined by inequality and extremism. The Taliban has issued over 100 verdicts and orders restricting the right to education, work and freedom of movement.

The Taliban’s policies have created a system of gender apartheid, where women and girls are systematically excluded from public life.

They are barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, prohibited from most forms of employment and forbidden to travel without a male guardian. For Afghan women inside the country, speaking out risks persecution, imprisonment or worse.

All these restrictions impact the country’s social, economic and political spheres, exacerbating the turmoil in the country. Afghanistan stands alone as the only country in the world where girls are prohibited from pursuing education beyond the sixth grade.

Women are systematically barred from most forms of employment and are not permitted to travel without a male guardian. This state-sanctioned exclusion has far-reaching consequences – not just for women and girls but for the entire nation.

The World Bank estimates that gender inequality in labour markets can reduce a country’s gross domestic product by more than 20% and Afghanistan is no exception. As women are forced out of jobs and denied access to education and opportunities, the country’s economy continues to shrink, deepening poverty and instability.

The impacts of these oppressive policies extend beyond economics. The rollback of women’s rights has triggered a sharp increase in gender-based violence, child marriage and child labour.

With girls out of school and families driven deeper into poverty, many are resorting to marrying off their daughters at a young age or sending them to work in exploitative conditions. Without urgent intervention, the current crisis threatens to create a lost generation of Afghan women and girls – deprived of their rights, their futures and their voices.

As conflicts have risen globally, women and children bear the sharp end of their impacts. Gender inequality is at a historic high, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected states.

Post-conflict settings also present a critical litmus test for global commitments to gender equality. Afghanistan, now often categorized as a post-conflict nation, remains one of the most marginalized countries in terms of women’s rights. Yet, it also offers a crucial opportunity for the international community to support local efforts to dismantle entrenched gender disparities.

Governments and global actors can play a pivotal role in helping Afghan women reclaim their rights and realize their aspirations through the following actions:

Advancements in technology offer a vital lifeline for Afghan women and girls, helping them overcome the barriers imposed by extreme restrictions. Governments, international organizations and the private sector can play a crucial role in expanding access to secure and affordable digital tools that enable Afghan women to connect with the outside world.

Through encrypted platforms and safe online spaces, women can continue their education, access healthcare services, earn a livelihood through remote work and participate in global networks – all while protecting their privacy and security in an increasingly repressive environment.

Diplomatic and principled engagement with Afghanistan’s current authorities should be strategic and conditional. Any political process, development aid or easing of sanctions must be tied to clear benchmarks that restore Afghan women’s access to education, employment and public life.

Supporting processes that enable Afghan women to participate in decision-making, governance and economic life is not optional – it is essential for long-term peace and stability.

Women-led organizations are at the forefront of efforts to deliver education, healthcare, and economic opportunities under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Direct funding to these initiatives ensures that resources reach those who understand the needs on the ground as more women have turned to entrepreneurship in the country.

At the same time, there is a critical lack of reliable data on the status of women and girls in Afghanistan. Filling this data gap is essential for designing effective policies and interventions that are responsive to their realities.

Youth, as powerful drivers of change, have a crucial role to play in ensuring Afghan women are included and empowered in all aspects of their work.

By raising their voices and taking action to support females in Afghanistan through either educational and career development programmes or other advocacy initiatives, young people can help transform injustice into opportunity and become catalysts for lasting positive change.

A world without educated women is a nation deprived of its full potential. Educated women transform societies – they strengthen families, improve livelihoods and lead with resilience, passion and purpose.

When women are denied education, they are left vulnerable to extremist ideologies and systems of male domination that perpetuate oppression, harm the economy and limit political representation to the voices of a select few.

It is, therefore, a moral imperative and a shared responsibility for young people, feminists and governments around the world to stand in solidarity with Afghan women. The future of Afghanistan and the hope for a more just and equitable world depends on it.