Under the Taliban’s de facto rule since August 2021, women and girls in Afghanistan have endured some of the worst human rights violations, without any avenue for justice, truth, and reparation. Prior to the Taliban takeover, although women continued to face numerous challenges in realizing their rights at the community and state level, institutional and legal reforms were under way. These progresses and reforms have been abruptly dismantled by the Taliban de facto rule. The Taliban have deemed formerly existing laws void and dismantled institutions that were providing protection and legal and public services to women and girls in Afghanistan, issuing decrees, policies, and decisions arguably based on an interpretation of sharia (Islamic law), imposing severe restrictions on women and girls in all aspects of their lives.
