Women’s rights in Afghanistan have taken a hard hit since the Taliban returned to power nearly four years ago.

The country now has the second largest gender gap in the world, according to UN Women’s 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index, which shows a 76 per cent disparity between women and men when it comes to health, education, financial inclusion and decision-making.

Afghan journalist Zahra Nader has been forced to flee her homeland twice to escape Taliban rule.

She told UN News’s Nancy Sarkis that everyone has the responsibility to raise awareness about “the most severe women's rights crisis of our time” and to ensure that those living in “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan have a voice.