New arrests in Kabul indicate women stand up to gender apartheid, says HRW

DID Press: Following arrest of dozens of women and girls in capital Kabul since July 16 on charges of “bad hijab,” a new wave of concerns has been raised about widespread violations of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says the Taliban are enforcing “vice and virtue” decree that requires women to completely cover their bodies and faces in public.

HRW says in a statement that these measures are part of a repressive system that aims to exclude women from public spaces and impose gender apartheid.

Nevertheless, Afghanistan women and girls continue to resist through small, everyday choices, such as adding color and style to their hijab.

“No matter what tactics or power authorities use, we will still find ways to go out. We can’t be imprisoned at home,” said Nahid, one of the detained women.

Human Rights Watch and other international organizations have called on the international community to not remain silent in the face of this systematic violation of women’s rights and to criminalize “gender apartheid.”