RASC News Agency: The German Foreign Ministry has issued a forceful condemnation of the Taliban’s intensifying restrictions on Afghanistani women and girls, accusing the regime of constructing a “social prison” to systematically erase them from public life. In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, March 4, published on X, the ministry denounced the Taliban’s latest draconian measures, including a prohibition on window construction and the removal of women’s images from public spaces. The statement further declared, “Today, we listen to their voices (women and girls) and engage with Afghanistani civil society activists to address the Taliban’s blatant violations of Afghanistan law.” These remarks were made as Germany’s Foreign Ministry hosted a high-level consultative session with Afghanistan’s civil society representatives, reinforcing its commitment to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
During the session, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned the Taliban’s sweeping suppression of women’s rights, stating, “The Taliban are, quite literally, constructing a social dungeon for 50% of Afghanistan’s population solely because they are women.” She further stressed, “As the Taliban attempt to extinguish the voices of women, it is our duty to amplify them.” Baerbock went on to equate the Taliban’s policies with social erasure, crimes against humanity, and even ‘gender apartheid.’ She asserted, “The stark reality is that no single term can fully encapsulate the enormity of these crimes.” Addressing Afghanistani women directly, she affirmed, “We have not forgotten you. This gathering is about you. We hear you, and we stand with you.” Since the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistani women and girls have faced an onslaught of oppressive decrees. Girls are barred from receiving formal education beyond the sixth grade, while women have been systematically excluded from universities and vocational institutions.
Their presence in public spaces has been drastically curtailed, reducing them to mere shadows in their own society. Crucially, the Taliban’s policies have stripped Afghanistani women of education, employment, and fundamental personal freedoms a stark reality that has provoked widespread international condemnation. Yet, despite global outcry, the regime’s escalating restrictions show no signs of abating. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has previously warned that the Taliban’s systematic repression of women is inflicting profound and irreversible damage on Afghanistan’s society.
