Imagine waking up one morning to find every right you have as a woman has been erased. No school, no job, no freedom of movement—not even the right to step outside alone. For millions of Afghan women, this is not a nightmare; it is their reality under Taliban rule. Afghanistan has become a place of “gender apartheid,” where state-engineered policies segregate and oppress women solely due to their gender.

Ironically, Afghan women’s plight once served as a justification for U.S. intervention. After 9/11, the Bush administration used the Taliban’s treatment of women to frame military action as a moral duty to “save Afghan women.” However, the 2021 withdrawal and peace talks with the Taliban revealed the limits of this rhetoric. Afghan women warned that excluding them and survivors of war crimes from the peace process would usher in darker days than those of the 1990s. Their fears were ignored. Today, the Taliban’s reign of terror has institutionalized a gender apartheid that erases women from public life.

The Taliban’s policies are not just oppressive—they are calculated to systematically eliminate women’s presence in society. Girls are banned from secondary and higher education. Women are prohibited from most jobs, from accessing public spaces, and even from speaking out in public. Women-owned businesses have been forcibly shut down, and women face arbitrary arrest and torture for defying these restrictions. The humanitarian consequences are catastrophic. Nearly 29 million Afghans require aid, yet the Taliban’s restrictions on female aid workers have made delivering assistance nearly impossible to those in need.

For two decades, the U.S. positioned itself as a champion of Afghan women’s rights, investing over $2 trillion and losing 2,443 American lives in its mission to combat terrorism and rebuild Afghanistan. This effort sought to strengthen the nation’s security forces, civilian government institutions, economy, and civil society. As a result, Afghan girls gained access to education, maternal health improved, and women entered politics and the workforce in unprecedented numbers. Yet, the U.S. withdrawal and subsequent inaction on Afghan women’s rights now represent not only a moral failure but also a betrayal of its own values.

The Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act of 2017 obligates the U.S. to actively promote women’s roles in peace, security, and conflict prevention. Nowhere is this obligation more urgent than in Afghanistan. While the outgoing Biden administration has repeatedly voiced its commitment to gender equality, it lacks a coherent plan to address the systemic oppression of Afghan women under Taliban rule. But to be fair, the incoming Trump administration undoubtedly has no plans to pressure the Taliban to ease up its draconian laws regarding Afghan women.

The U.S. must act now, not only to honor its promises to Afghan women but also to send a clear message to misogynistic leaders everywhere. Women’s rights are not expendable, and gender persecution must carry consequences.

The Taliban’s policies constitute gender apartheid, yet there is no current legal framework that recognizes gender-based apartheid as a crime against humanity. The United States should spearhead efforts at the United Nations to establish gender apartheid as an international crime, akin to racial apartheid. This definition would allow institutions like the International Criminal Court to investigate and prosecute gender-based oppression. By defining this crime, the U.S. would make clear that institutionalized gender persecution is intolerable.

The incoming Trump administration must advocate for a dedicated UN commission to document gender-related human rights abuses in Afghanistan. This body would gather evidence for legal action, report regularly to the UN Human Rights Council, and keep Afghan women’s suffering visible internationally. Further, the U.S. should support the UN’s existing human rights mandates in Afghanistan and ensure they have adequate resources to continue their work.

Afghan women are not passive victims. Underground networks provide education, healthcare, and essential services, often at great personal risk. The U.S. must fund these grassroots efforts, expand digital education initiatives, and ensure Afghan girls have access to learning despite Taliban restrictions.

Afghan women fleeing persecution deserve a safe haven. Congress should simplify asylum processes and recognize Afghan women as a group facing systemic oppression. By providing refuge, the U.S. would not only save lives but also send a message that the U.S. stands with those fighting against tyranny.

The U.S. response to the Taliban’s repression of Afghan women will shape America’s legacy as a global human rights defender. The stakes go beyond Afghanistan; they impact the credibility of America’s commitment to freedom, justice, and equality. The world is watching. For Afghan women, this is a fight for survival. For the United States, it is a chance to reaffirm its values on the world stage.