Malala Yousafzai condemns Taliban's oppressive policies against women in Afghanistan

Nobel laureate and women’s rights advocate Malala Yousafzai has condemned the Taliban government's actions in Afghanistan, labelling their policies as "extreme, anti-women, brutal, and oppressive."

In a post shared on X on Tursday, Yousafzai criticised the Taliban’s systematic suppression of Afghan women and girls, highlighting their violent enforcement of restrictive laws.

She described the Taliban’s treatment of women akin to “gender apartheid,” citing public beatings and bans on education, work, and freedom of movement.

Yousafzai called for immediate global intervention, urging world governments, international bodies, and Muslim-majority nations to hold the Afghan Taliban accountable for their actions through international law. She expressed concern that the Taliban are misusing religion and culture to justify their policies.

Since retaking power, the Taliban have stripped Afghan women of many rights, introducing laws such as the "Virtue and Vice" rule, which bars women from public spaces shared with men and forbids their voices and faces from being seen or heard in public.

The international community has criticised these measures, but little concrete action has been taken, leaving Afghan women increasingly isolated.