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Five Years On: Afghan Women Fight for Freedom

August 14, 2026

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Five years ago, the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan. Since then, they have worked to eliminate women and girls from public life. The country continues to be the worst country in the world for women, according to our latest Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index, with a list of over 160 decrees targeting women. Girls cannot go to school after age 12, women cannot serve in most jobs, and many lack access to healthcare and the most basic services, like clean water. They are barred from politics, and women protesters have faced brutal crackdowns, arrests, and killings. Women cannot even speak in public. This state-led structural violence against women is so extreme, it amounts to gender apartheid. 

Yet, Afghan women and girls continue to fight for freedom and resist oppression—as they have for decades. From home-based education to online or informal employment to acts of dissent, women inside the country are pushing back. The Afghan diaspora also continues to bravely fight for the rights of women and girls, exposing the crimes of the Taliban, advocating for accountability and justice, supporting humanitarian efforts, and promoting solutions to help women and girls today and in the future.

The women and girls of Afghanistan have not given up, and neither should the international community. The world cannot normalize the Taliban or this horrific treatment of half the country’s population. The international community must speak out against the ongoing abuses happening in Afghanistan, recognize the crime of gender apartheid, and seek all avenues for justice. 

Today, as we do every day, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) is proud to stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan and support their vision for a free, peaceful, and equitable future.

Learn more about the risks and opportunities for women and girls in Afghanistan:

Learn more about how Afghanistan ranks on 13 indicators of women’s status through the WPS Index:

Hear from Afghan Women on the Ground

These quotes were shared by anonymous Afghan peacebuilders as part of a GIWPS global survey of 3,000 women across 121 countries.

“What we need is not just to be heard, but to be actively involved in major decisions for peace and security. True peace comes when women are not only present on the ground, but also at the negotiating table.”

“Many peace processes will not come to fruition without the real participation of youth and women. The partnership of these two groups is not only just, but also contributes to the sustainability of peace.” 

“As an activist woman, I am not a victim of war, but an architect of social peace, and this is a voice that must be heard globally.”

“I am an Afghan girl—full of light, full of knowledge, full of power. They can close the school, but they can never extinguish the science from my mind.”

Forthcoming Research

Last year, GIWPS partnered with the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies (DROPS) to survey almost 500 Afghan women peacebuilders across the country. In a forthcoming paper, we will share key findings pertaining to Afghan women’s peace and security efforts, the risks and benefits of their work, where they feel empowered to make positive change, how they work with the international community, and their most urgent needs. 

Our results reveal that in addition to education (81%), a large proportion of Afghan women work on health and reproductive rights (64%), significantly more than their South Asian counterparts. Many women (41%) reported fatigue as one of the negative consequences of their work, but most said these consequences do not stop them from participating in peace and security efforts. Education, poverty, and violence are selected most often as the top three challenges Afghan women face, while most report dialogue or networking as one of the top choices for effective collaboration modes. 

These findings are a snapshot of our forthcoming research. Read the full report here on September 9th, 2026. 

Read More from GIWPS and Afghan Women in our Network 

Five Years of Taliban Rule: The Normalization of Gender Apartheid and the International Community’s Failure
By Belquis Ahmadi

The Taliban has instituted a state-sponsored gender apartheid, attempting to erase nearly 20 million Afghan women and girls from public life. By normalizing relations for political convenience, the international community enables this abuse and sets a dangerous global precedent.  

The Taliban’s Attack on Protesters in Herat is Yet Another Example of Its War on Women
By Kimberly (Kim) Hart

In June, Taliban forces opened fire on peaceful protesters in Herat demonstrating against morality dress codes, killing at least two and injuring over 20, exemplifying the regime’s brutality. 

Five questions on the status of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan
A Q&A with Ambassador Melanne Verveer by Kay Summers

Executive Director of GIWPS Ambassador Melanne Verveer and GIWPS Director of Policy and Programs Kim Hart examine the ongoing, systematic oppression in Afghanistan. They discuss how climate and humanitarian crises affect women and girls and explore ways for the international community to support Afghan women’s resistance and strengthen accountability.

The Taliban’s Legalization of Child Sexual Exploitation 
By Belquis Ahmadi

Restrictive Taliban legislation has dismantled women’s legal protections and institutionalized the forced marriage of young girls. Whether exchanged for government incentives or arranged by desperate families for protection, these arrangements are coercion and child sexual exploitation.

A Community Holding onto Hope: Georgetown Screens Documentary on the Fight for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
By Alexandra Gopin

In February, GIWPS screened The Sharp Edge of Peace, a documentary following four prominent Afghan women who risked their lives negotiating with the Taliban to preserve the rights gained by women and girls over two decades. A post-film panel discussed the worsening human rights crisis and called on governments to pressure the Taliban and formally criminalize gender apartheid. 

Save the Date

 Five Years On: Women’s Fight for Freedom in Afghanistan 

Wednesday, September 9, 2026
9:30 -10:45 AM ET
Virtual

Join GIWPS for a virtual event honoring Afghan women’s bravery and fight for freedom over the past five years of Taliban rule. The event will highlight insights from women inside Afghanistan, explore new research by GIWPS and DROPS, share updates on the current situation of Afghan women and girls, and examine opportunities for international action, including in the fight for justice and accountability.