As the world marks November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Afghan women have endured the worst forms of violence under the Taliban regime for more than four years. It appears that governments and institutions claiming to defend human rights, along with women’s rights advocates, have suffered a profound moral failure in the face of what is happening to women in Afghanistan.
Although the international community — with the exception of Russia — has not formally recognized the Taliban’s rule, in practice they continue to engage with the group as the de facto authorities. The ongoing political and diplomatic interaction between regional and global powers and the Taliban, the expansion of Taliban control over Afghanistan’s foreign missions, and the growing number of official visits and meetings with Taliban representatives have emboldened the group to commit widespread human rights violations, particularly acts of violence against women.
Over the past four years, the Taliban have issued hundreds of restrictive decrees targeting women and girls — banning them from education, employment, sports, travel, and even walking outside their homes freely — effectively erasing them from every sphere of public life. In addition, numerous reports have documented forced marriages, sexual assault, torture, and killings carried out by Taliban fighters and officials.
Yet the international community has taken no meaningful or effective action to stop these abuses.
Why November 25 was chosen as the international day for the elimination of violence against Women
Since 1980, women’s rights activists have marked November 25 as a day of resistance against gender-based violence. The commemoration centres on honouring the three Mirabal sisters, who were brutally murdered in 1960 by the dictator of the Dominican Republic. Their assassination became the symbolic foundation of this global campaign.
On December 20, 1993, through Resolution 48/104, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, creating an international framework for eradicating violence against women worldwide. In a complementary step on February 7, 2000, the General Assembly officially designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women by adopting Resolution 54/134.
With this designation, the United Nations called on governments, international bodies, and civil society organizations to join efforts each year on this day, coordinating activities aimed at raising awareness and advancing the fight to end violence against women.
The gap between rhetoric and reality
The international community, including countries in the region, seems trapped in a contradiction between what it proclaims and what it actually does in its engagement with the Taliban. In public statements, governments consistently condition recognition of the Taliban and deeper engagement on the formation of an inclusive government and respect for the rights of women and minorities. But in practice, women’s rights have become a marginal, almost symbolic issue.
Governments, guided by realist policies, prioritize their national interests when dealing with the Taliban. Understanding this reality, the Taliban have shown no willingness to respect women’s rights, nor is there any sign they intend to do so in the future.
This widening gap between declared positions and actual policies carries its own consequences for both states and the international community:
The consequences of the international community’s stated positions
The international community’s rhetorical and public positions have at least generated global sympathy and solidarity with Afghan women. In this environment, several meaningful initiatives have emerged, and continue to emerge, in support of Afghan women’s rights. These efforts can be summarized in several key areas:
- Supporting online education and expanding scholarship opportunities for Afghan women and girls.
- Providing platforms for activists and survivors of Taliban violence to speak in international forums and institutions.
- Supporting the organization of people’s tribunals that seek accountability for Taliban abuses.
- Backing conferences, gatherings, and protests organized by Afghan women.
- Imposing sanctions and issuing arrest warrants against some Taliban leaders.
The consequences of the international community’s actual policies
The practical behavior and real-world engagement of the international community with the Taliban send a very different message — one that suggests human rights and women’s rights are largely symbolic concerns, while national interests in security, economics, and politics take precedence. Based on this reality, the following can be identified as key consequences of the world’s actual approach toward the Taliban:
- Failure to prioritize women’s rights in negotiations with the Taliban.
- No suspension of aid, deals, or cooperation conditioned on respect for women’s rights.
- Reducing support for Afghan women to symbolic civic gestures lacking enforcement or meaningful follow-up.
- Continuation, deepening, and expansion of violations of women’s rights, along with increased gender-based violence against Afghan women by the Taliban.
- Rendering global observances — such as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — largely symbolic and ineffective.
Therefore, it is clear that any change in the Taliban’s treatment of women depends on the international community’s practical policies toward the group, not its stated or rhetorical positions. The logical consequence of this gap between words and actions is twofold:
On one hand, Afghan women remain defenseless against the Taliban’s escalating violence; on the other, humanitarian and human rights slogans become hollow and devoid of meaning.
Ultimately, the moral failure of the international community toward the women of Afghanistan is unmistakable—and the reputational damage for governments and institutions that claim to defend human rights and women’s rights is both profound and shameful.
Omid Sharafat is the pseudonym of a former university professor in Kabul and a researcher of international relations.
