Afghanistan: a 21st century apartheid? Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, the human rights situation in Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate. While a wide range of fundamental rights have been curtailed, the most obvious case is the systematic denial of the rights and freedoms of women and girls. As new decrees, policies and practices increase the Taliban’s stranglehold on half the population, what tools does the international community have to combat institutionalised gender discrimination? Should the situation of women in Afghanistan be recognised as “gender apartheid”?