Today in Afghanistan, public squares and sports stadiums have become sites of fear, humiliation, and state-enforced cruelty. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have revived one of their most archaic and oppressive tools of control– public flogging. Men and women alike are whipped in front of crowds, often accused of “moral crimes” or […]
$9.7 Million in Contraceptives Set for Destruction as Aid Freeze Continues
The U.S. government is preparing to destroy a $9.7 million stockpile of USAID-purchased contraceptives originally intended for global aid. The contraceptives in the stockpile could provide at least one year of coverage to over 650,000 women and longer-term protection for even more. The State Department has confirmed these plans, which would cost $167,000 of taxpayer […]
Taliban Intensifies Gender Apartheid with Arrests and Abductions of Afghan Women
In the latest crackdown on Afghan women’s basic freedoms, the Taliban have launched a sweeping campaign of arrests, abductions, and abuse across Kabul—targeting women and girls for their clothing, visibility, and defiance. Human rights defenders are calling the campaign a calculated assault on dignity and a defining feature of Afghanistan’s entrenched system of gender apartheid. […]
U.S. Eliminates Afghan Relocation Office, Cutting Essential Lifeline for Afghans at Risk
In a deeply troubling move, the U.S. Department of State has notified Congress that it will eliminate the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), which is the only dedicated office tasked with supporting Afghans left behind following the Afghan evacuation in 2021. This change is set to take effect July 1, 2025, unless Congress intervenes. […]
ICC Charges Taliban Leaders with Crimes Against Humanity Over Gender Apartheid
In a landmark decision that reinforces international pressure on the Taliban, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has publicly disclosed arrest warrants for two of the regime’s top leaders, Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, on charges of gender persecution, a crime against humanity under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute. This […]
Russia Becomes First Major Country to Recognize Taliban Regime
In a landmark move with sweeping implications for human rights and diplomacy, Russia has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The announcements, made by the Russian and the Taliban Foreign Ministries on Thursday, July 3, mark the first time a major global power has extended formal recognition to the Taliban since […]
War’s Hidden Burden on Women
As tensions escalate in the Middle East, civilians across the region face devastating consequences. In early 2024, missile strikes, drone attacks, and proxy clashes reignited fears of a broader regional war, spilling across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and even Iranian cities. Families in northern Israel once again crowd into bomb shelters, re-traumatized by memories of past […]
At UN Human Rights Council, Afghan Women Demand Action
At the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s 59th Session in Geneva, Afghan women took center stage, urging the international community to formally recognize Taliban rule as gender apartheid and take concrete steps toward justice. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women and girls in Afghanistan have faced what many legal […]
Senators Shaheen and Murkowski Condemn Termination of Afghan TPS as “Historic Betrayal”
In a bipartisan effort, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) have publicly denounced the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 8,000 Afghan nationals currently living in the United States. The senators expressed their profound concern in a joint letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland […]
Trump Administration Ends Protected Status for Afghan Refugees While Prioritizing White South Africans
The Trump Administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan refugees in the U.S. today, a move affecting approximately 14,600 Afghan refugees already residing in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the TPS designation for Afghanistan will expire on May 20, 2025, with termination effective July 12, […]
Nearly Four Years of Taliban Assault on Afghan Women’s Health Cost Lives
Afghanistan has seen a stark reversal in progress in all sectors of their society after the Taliban took over in 2021. However, one of the most deeply impacted sectors has been women’s health. Before 2021, there had been 20 years of growth in the health sector. Maternal mortality had decreased from 1,345 deaths/100,000 live births […]
Afghan Women Continue to Bear the Brunt of Trump Administration Aid Cuts
The Trump administration’s sweeping rollback of U.S. foreign aid is sending shockwaves across global humanitarian sectors, however, the consequences are more devastating than ever in Afghanistan, where women already battling Taliban oppression are now being cut off from their last lifelines to education and survival. Last week, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) abruptly […]
Revoking T.P.S. for Afghan Allies Leaves Them in Jeopardy Once More
The Trump administration announced on Friday that Temporary Protected Status (T.P.S.) for Afghan allies in the United States is being canceled, stating that “Afghanistan no longer meets the statutory requirements for its T.P.S. designation.” As a result, over 14,000 Afghans now face the risk of deportation in May and June. Afghans were first protected under […]
Countries Must Stop Accepting Taliban Diplomats and Prioritize Women’s Human Rights
Since returning to power, the Taliban has tried to consolidate their power by taking control of foreign embassies and consulates. According to AP News, The Taliban has said that they “no longer recognize Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions set up by the former, Western-backed government and that they will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued […]
A New School Year Begins in Afghanistan, But Not for Afghan Girls
The start of Spring marks a new school year in Afghanistan, but for millions of Afghan girls, the doors to education remain firmly shut. For the fourth consecutive year, the Taliban has upheld its ban on secondary and higher education for girls, a policy that UNESCO estimates has affected at least 1.5 million Afghan girls […]
The Institute of Peace vs. the Trump Administration: An Overreach of Executive Power
On Monday, March 17, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gained access to the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) Headquarters building, resulting in a standoff between USIP, DOGE, and law enforcement. Following these events, USIP has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, DOGE, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and USAID Administrator Kenneth Jackson. “Attacks […]
U.N. Commission on the Status of Women Hosts Event to End Child Marriage
Panelists at the UN CSW event On March 19, the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women hosted a side event called “No Child Left a Bride: Successes & Setbacks in the Global Effort to End Child Marriage” in collaboration with Unchained at Last, an organization dedicated to ending child […]
Decline in Civil Liberties Gets U.S. Added to Global Watchlist
CIVICUS, an international non-profit organization focused on civil rights and citizen action, added the United States to its Monitor Watchlist on March 9 in response to the Trump Administration’s threats to civic freedoms. This indicates that the non-profit has detected a rapid decline in liberties such as the freedom to assemble, freedom to associate, and […]
Allies Feeling “Betrayed” and “Disappointed” by the Closure of the Afghan Resettlement Program
The order the State Department has received to close the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) by April 2025 has left many Afghans and military veterans shocked and upset at this decision. The program has not officially closed yet, but all signs point to its permanent shutdown. The decision to close CARE means […]
Plan to Shut Down Afghan Resettlement Office Leaves Thousands of Afghan Allies in Limbo
The U.S. State Department has ordered the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to prepare for closure by April 2025, a decision that has raised significant concern among advocates and Afghans awaiting resettlement. The decision affects some 200,000 individuals, including family members of Afghan-American U.S. military personnel, minors awaiting reunification with their […]