MEDIA RELEASE
International Women’s Day: Former MP Nilofar Ibrahimi urges the Australian Government to recognise gender apartheid and expand safe education pathways.
8 March 2026
Women and girls of Afghanistan are being erased from public life at a scale unseen anywhere else in the world, according to the ZamZam Foundation, as new Taliban further entrench discrimination and violence against women.
Marking International Women’s Day, the Australian-based Zamzam Foundation is calling attention to the worsening crisis facing women of Afghanistan, where more than 130 decrees issued since 2021 have restricted women’s education, employment and freedom of movement.
Today, Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are banned from secondary school and university. According to United Nations agencies, more than 1.4 million girls have been denied secondary education, while around 80 percent of women of Afghanistan are now excluded from education, employment or training. Protesters have been arrested, tortured, or have simply disappeared.
Nilofar Ibrahimi, founder of the Zamzam Foundation and a former member of parliament of Afghanistan, said the situation reflects a deepening crisis.“Many people in the West hear the word Afghanistan and think of war or political conflict,” Dr Ibrahimi said.
“But if you trace the history of Afghanistan through the lives of its women, a clear pattern emerges: Every time politics fails, women pay the highest price. Every time there is progress, women are at its heart. And every time the world turns away, it is women who disappear first from public life — but never from the memory or resistance of the Afghanistan people.”
Across every era, women’s advancement has mirrored good governance — and their disappearance has signalled collapse.
Her daughter, Ariana Ibrahimi, said the impact of these restrictions is already shaping the lives of an entire generation of girls.
“Women and girls of Afghanistan are being systematically erased from public life,” she said.
More than 130 Taliban decrees have turned daily life into one of fear, isolation and stolen futures.
New legal measures have further entrenched these restrictions. A recently introduced Taliban criminal code formalises many existing limitations and introduces additional penalties that disproportionately affect women.
Under the code, a married woman who stays at her family home without her husband’s permission can face up to three months in prison — even if she has fled domestic violence. In contrast, a husband who severely beats his wife may face a maximum penalty of just 15 days if the abuse can be proven.
Despite these restrictions, women of Afghanistan continue to resist through underground education networks and community organising.
Women of Afghanistan refuse erasure,” Dr Ibrahimi said. “They continue to defend dignity, education and hope for the future.
The Zamzam Foundation is calling on the Australian Government to support international efforts to recognise gender apartheid as a crime against humanity and to ensure the rights of women of Afghanistan remain central to global diplomatic and humanitarian responses.
The organisation is also urging the Australian Government to expand safe pathways for women and girls from Afghanistan, including access to humanitarian visas and education opportunities. Universities, schools and academic institutions in Australia must welcome students from Afghanistan whose education has been disrupted by Taliban policies.
“Education is one of the most powerful tools women of Afghanistan have to reclaim their future,” Dr Ibrahimi said.
No stability exists by locking away half the population.
ENDS