As the Taliban continue their war on women and girls, it is clear that appeasement has failed | Gordon Brown
The Taliban's expanding ban on girls' education in Afghanistan has been labeled a crime against humanity by the UN. While the regime tightens control, major powers are normalising diplomatic relations, prompting criticism that appeasement fuels repression.
On the International Day of Education, United Nations agencies highlighted a worsening crisis in Afghanistan: the Taliban has extended its ban on girls' education to all levels, denying roughly 2.2 million girls the right to learn. The restrictions, now covering secondary schools, universities and most public employment, have been described by the UN as "gender apartheid" and potentially a crime against humanity.
How the ban evolved
Four years after seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban first prohibited girls from attending secondary school. In 2022 the edict was broadened to exclude women from university classrooms, and by 2023 the regime barred most forms of female employment, including positions in NGOs and government offices. Recent decrees require women to wear full face coverings, travel only with a male guardian, and avoid public spaces such as parks, gyms and beauty salons. Violations are met with arrest, as illustrated by the December detention of journalist Nazira Rashidi in Kunduz and the brief imprisonment of Khadija Ahmadzada in Herat for running a women’s sports gym.
International diplomatic moves
While the Taliban intensifies repression, several major powers have moved to re‑engage. Russia was the first to restore full diplomatic relations without securing any concessions on women’s rights. China accepted a Taliban ambassador in January 2024, and India reopened its embassy in Kabul, proclaiming a "bright future" for bilateral ties. European nations have also increased contact, largely to facilitate the return of Afghan asylum seekers, inadvertently lending legitimacy to a regime that continues to suppress half its population.
These diplomatic overtures have emboldened the Taliban’s hard‑line faction, centred in Kandahar, to consolidate power. Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has shifted key ministries, including weapons control, from Kabul to Kandahar, signalling a move toward a more isolated, ultra‑conservative emirate. Internal rifts within the Taliban over the future of education and women’s employment have surfaced, with former deputy foreign minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai fleeing the country after publicly condemning the regime’s policies.
UN response and legal actions
UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett has repeatedly warned that the Taliban’s new criminal procedure code will enable further violations of girls’ and women’s rights. He has urged the international community to make gender‑based persecution a condition for any engagement with the regime and to consider referrals to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In July 2025 the ICC’s pre‑trial chamber issued arrest warrants for Akhundzada and senior minister Abdul Hakim Haqqani on charges of gender‑based persecution, marking a historic step toward accountability.
Despite these legal moves, talks in Doha hosted by the UN and Qatar have produced no concessions on education or women’s rights, as the Taliban refuses to include women’s organisations in negotiations and continues to block dialogue on the issue.
Underground resistance and the future
Afghan civil society has responded with covert education initiatives. In the Panjshir valley, radio programmes broadcast lessons ranging from basic science to breastfeeding. Home‑school networks operate in urban centres, and some families send daughters abroad to Pakistan or Iran for schooling, despite repatriation pressures on those countries. A handful of young Afghan women have secured scholarships to study in Scotland, illustrating the persistent demand for education.
The demographic reality underscores the unsustainability of the Taliban’s policies. Afghanistan’s population now exceeds 43 million, with an estimated 17.4 million people facing food insecurity by March 2026 and nearly 5 million mothers and children suffering from malnutrition. Economic development is impossible without the participation of half the population, and continued exclusion of women from education and work threatens both domestic stability and international legitimacy.
What comes next?
UN officials continue to push for a global treaty that would classify the denial of girls’ and women’s rights as a crime against humanity. The ICC’s arrest warrants signal a willingness to pursue legal accountability, but without concrete diplomatic pressure tied to human‑rights benchmarks, the Taliban may persist in its isolationist agenda. Observers warn that if the international community remains complacent, the regime’s “medieval repression” could ultimately destabilise Afghanistan, creating broader regional security risks.
Why it matters
The Taliban's education ban threatens the rights of millions of Afghan girls and undermines regional stability, while diplomatic engagement without conditions may legitimize repression.
Key points
- The Taliban has banned girls from all levels of education, affecting 2.2 million children.
- UN officials label the policy as gender apartheid and a potential crime against humanity.
- Russia, China, India and some European states have restored diplomatic ties without securing women’s rights concessions.
- The ICC has issued arrest warrants for top Taliban leaders over gender‑based persecution.
- Underground schools and overseas scholarships remain the only avenues for Afghan girls to learn.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current status of girls' education in Afghanistan?
Since 2021 the Taliban has progressively prohibited girls from attending secondary school, university and most public employment, effectively denying education to an estimated 2.2 million girls.
Which countries have re‑established diplomatic relations with the Taliban?
Russia was the first, followed by China, India and several European nations that have increased engagement to manage asylum‑seeker returns.
Has the international community taken legal action against Taliban leaders?
Yes, the ICC’s pre‑trial chamber issued arrest warrants in July 2025 for Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and senior minister Abdul Hakim Haqqani on charges of gender‑based persecution.
Are there any alternatives for Afghan girls to continue their studies?
Underground schooling in regions like Panjshir, home‑school networks, radio lessons, and scholarships abroad—particularly in Pakistan, Iran and Scotland—provide limited but vital educational opportunities.
