Ten major events for Afghan women in 2024
The year 2024 was eventful for Afghan women. The Taliban continued their campaign of repression, imposing stricter restrictions, violating basic rights, and striving at erasing women from public and social spheres. At the same time, Afghan women demonstrated resilience, leading to inspiring and impactful events. This piece reviews 10 significant developments — both negative and positive — that garnered considerable attention.
While the Taliban were the driving force behind all negative events, Afghan women and girls were either directly responsible for or influential in the positive occurrences. Notably, most took place in the latter half of the year, indicating their continuation into the current year.
1. The Taliban vice and virtue law
This law, consisting of a preamble, four chapters, and 35 articles, was approved by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and published in the official gazette by their Ministry of Justice on August 20, 2024. Article 13 of the law, which pertains to women’s hijab, drew significant controversy. The law defines a woman’s face and voice as aurat (something to be concealed) and deems their exposure to those outside the close familial circle as a violation of the law. It also imposes more restrictions on women’s movement and travel. The publication and enforcement of this law provoked widespread national and international opposition.
2. Zakia Khudadadi wins bronze at the Paris Olympics
Zakia Khudadadi, an Afghan taekwondo athlete, won a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympic Games. This historic achievement took place on August 29, the opening day of the Paris Paralympics. Khudadadi became the first Afghan woman and the first member of the Refugee Team to secure a medal. Her groundbreaking victory serves as a source of inspiration for Afghan women, given that the Taliban have banned women from all sports.
3. Reducing the salaries of female employees to 5,000 afghani a month
In a continuation of their discriminatory policies against women, the Taliban issued a directive attributed to Mullah Hibatullah on June 3, 2024, reducing the salaries of all female government employees to 5,000 afghani a month. The decree specified that all female employees in government offices who were appointed during the previous republic and currently receive higher salaries would now be paid only 5,000 afghani.
Most of these female employees work in the health and education sectors. This reduction in their salaries, amidst Afghanistan’s dire economic situation, was yet another devastating blow to Afghan women. Although the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Finance announced on July 7, 2024, that the directive would be revised following widespread protests by teachers and healthcare workers, any potential adjustments were still expected to remain discriminatory.
4. European Parliament resolution to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan
On September 19, 2024, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for the recognition of “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan. This action by the European Parliament marks a significant step forward in the ongoing struggle of Afghan women and women’s rights defenders who have been advocating for global recognition of the existence of gender apartheid in Afghanistan. The resolution condemned the Taliban’s vice and virtue law as restrictions of fundamental rights and freedoms. In declaring that the Taliban’s extreme gender-based repression of Afghan women and girls constitutes “gender apartheid,” the resolution urged the European Union to support recognizing gender apartheid as a crime against humanity.
5. EU Court of Justice ruling to facilitate asylum for Afghan women
On October 4, 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Afghan women’s nationality and gender alone are sufficient grounds for granting asylum. The ruling specified that Afghan women do not need to prove a specific risk upon returning to their country to qualify for asylum. This decision came after Austrian authorities refused to recognize the refugee status of two Afghan women. The women challenged the Austrian decision in the country’s Supreme Administrative Court, which subsequently referred the case to Europe’s highest judicial body. The European Court of Justice determined that the Taliban’s discriminatory practices against women amount to “acts of persecution,” thereby justifying the recognition of their refugee status.
6. Ban on women’s education in medical institutions
The ban on women’s education in medical institutions, the only remaining venues of education open to female students, sparked significant outrage. On December 2, 2024, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health, following a directive reportedly issued by Mullah Hibatullah, ordered that women be banned from all higher and semi-higher medical education institutions. This move was described as closing the last window of hope for Afghan women, and experts warned of the devastating consequences of a growing shortage of female doctors and healthcare workers in the coming years.
7. UN Security Council briefing on restrictions imposed on Afghan women
On December 12, 2024, the United Nations Security Council was briefed on the Taliban’s repression of women. This meeting was triggered by the recent ban on women’s education in medical institutions. Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s special representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, warned during the session that the new restrictions could have deadly consequences for women and girls. While no concrete action was taken to support Afghan women, the harsh criticism of the Taliban during the dedicated session highlighted that the widespread violation of women’s rights in Afghanistan has become a critical global issue.
8. Children’s peace prize awarded to Nila Ebrahimi
One of the significant events of the past year was Afghan teenager Nila Ibrahimi receiving the International Children’s Peace Prize. The award was presented on December 19, 2024, by the KidsRights Foundation in Amsterdam in recognition of Ibrahimi’s leadership in social movements and her efforts to inspire other Afghan girls to fight against injustice and demand their rights. The 17-year-old won the award after competing against 165 nominees from 47 countries.
9. Taliban reiterate ban on women working at NGOs
On December 26, 2024, the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Economy warned local and international organizations, including the United Nations, that their licenses would be revoked if they employed women. Although the ban on women working in NGOs has been in effect for two years, this renewed warning from the Taliban has heightened concerns at both the national and global levels about the regime’s rigidity and unyielding policies toward women.
10. Order to block windows overlooking women’s spaces
In the final days of the past year, the Taliban issued yet another restrictive order. On December 28, 2024, a directive reportedly from Mullah Hibatullah was published, mandating that home builders must not place windows on sides of houses that overlook neighboring properties. The order stressed that windows must be designed in a way that prevents anyone from seeing neighbouring women. This directive, which sparked widespread reactions and ridicule on social media, was justified by the claim that viewing women could lead to immoral behavior.
In summary, the Taliban’s relentless war against the women of Afghanistan persisted but reports of women’s active resistance continued to emerge. These included sporadic street demonstrations as well as more organized efforts, such as underground campaigns focused on education, art, and learning.
*Omid Sharafat is the pseudonym of a former university professor in Kabul and an international relations researcher.