The Pakistani government has come to an agreement with the Taliban for the approximately 4,000 Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members along the border of the two countries to be relocated to northern Afghanistan. These militants form a distinct extremist group commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, created in 2007, that is considered an offshoot and […]
Afghanistan’s Judicial System Takes Another Hit as the Taliban Abolishes the Attorney General’s Office
In a recent attack on Afghanistan’s judicial system, the Taliban has abolished the Attorney General’s Office. Instead, they have replaced it with the “Directorate of Supervision and Prosecution of Decrees and Orders” which is designed to ensure the implementation of the Taliban’s orders in public and private life. The provided explanation for this change was […]
The Taliban officials confirmed that only men will take the university entrance exams. Afghan women and men demand equal access to education for the sake of Afghanistan’s future.
The National Examination Authority (NEXA) in Afghanistan announced that only male students can attend the university entrance examination this year. This came from a letter written by the Ministry of Higher Education stating that only male students should be recruited to universities. This removal of women from society will negatively impact the country, many women […]
“We are here for justice.” Afghan Women Take to the Streets to Protest Against Latest Taliban Edicts
Dozens of women took to the streets in Kabul on Wednesday to protest against the Taliban’s closing of women’s beauty salons. The order forces thousands of beauty parlors across the country, run by women, to close. The Taliban government has banned women from high schools and universities, parks, gyms, working for NGOs, and in the […]
Economic Destabilization: Taliban’s Ban on Female Employment Threatens Afghan Families
In one of the latest decrees, the Taliban has imposed a ban on female kindergarten teachers, adding to the long list of edicts targeting women. While officially issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the order came from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, a group historically known for enforcing arbitrary measures and […]
UN report underscores the Taliban’s growing restrictions on Afghan women and girls.
As the two-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover approaches, the UN released a report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan. The report highlights increased restrictions on the freedom of Afghan women and girls. The Taliban has also firmly enforced limitations on women’s freedom of movement and employment. Despite promises of being more moderate than […]
The Taliban in Afghanistan seeks instructors from Pakistan for Afghan youth but denies local teachers job opportunities.
Taliban officials in Kabul have asked Pakistan to send teachers to Afghanistan, meanwhile firing thousands of Afghan professionals and staff members at academic institutions across the country. The Taliban Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammed Nadeem, announced calls to Pakistan to send teachers to Afghanistan. Nadeem requested a meeting with Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan, Obaid […]
The Taliban shut down teacher training centers, leaving thousands out of jobs. The majority of the student were women.
The Taliban announced it will shut down teacher training centers throughout the country, leaving 4,000 Afghan professionals running the centers without jobs. Historically, a majority of trainees and aspiring teachers at teacher training centers were women until the Taliban took control of the government. Many of them have been subjected to a ban by the […]
With increasing Taliban restrictions against Afghan women, the mental health crisis worsens. “I feel like an empty shell of a human being.”
For nearly two years, Afghan women find themselves at the forefront of a mental health crisis over the bleak outlook for their future and the future of their country. Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan are suffering from depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, as a direct result of being forced into isolation by the Taliban. […]
Afghanistan’s neighbors express terrorism concerns; Putin proposes a counter-terrorism center
During the latest Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, Russian President Putin called for establishing a regional counter-terrorism center to respond to threats in and around the region. Member states emphasized that terrorist groups continue to find safe havens in Afghanistan and that the situation remains volatile. While member states prioritize combating terrorism, there is a lack […]
Afghan women barred from beauty salons in latest Taliban edict: “Don’t we have the right to work or live?”
The Taliban has decided in their latest announcement to outlaw women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan. This follows restrictions on many rights and freedoms for Afghan women in education, employment and public spaces. The order came from Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada and was publicly declared by the Virtue and Vice Ministry. There was no reason […]
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has challenged traditional perceptions of gender, while also exacerbating inequalities
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, gender gaps in education, poverty, and gender-based violence have increasingly widened for Ukrainian women. The war has shifted the traditional understanding of gender dynamics in Ukraine as women fill positions left behind by men being drafted into the military. This has greatly expanded women’s role […]
Facing Restrictions on Freedom and Rights, Afghanistan Ranks as the Unhappiest Country in the World
Afghanistan ranks as the unhappiest country in the world another year in a row, in the latest annual Gallup World Happiness Report. The report specifically noted that life for people in Afghanistan one year after the Taliban rose to power has declined. Gallup surveyed adults in 142 countries and areas in 2022 about different negative […]
Amid the health and economic crisis in Afghanistan, the Taliban refuses to help. Instead, blames the US and others.
Eid al-Adha is usually a time of celebration for Muslims around the world. In Afghanistan, however, people are struggling to afford basic necessities due to the intense economic crisis. After decades of conflict, natural disasters, and other economic challenges, poverty runs rampant throughout the country. As a result, many Afghans are struggling to find jobs […]
Afghan men demand the right of women to pursue higher education. They say, “we need female and male doctors.”
At a graduation ceremony, 146 graduates from Paktia University Medical School walked the stage. There was not a single female graduate among them. Graduates of the medical school used this day as a moment to call for the Taliban to open up schools and universities for girls immediately, asserting that “girls also have the right […]
The Taliban Claims that Women Have a “Comfortable and Prosperous Life” in Afghanistan. Its Actions Say Otherwise.
A recent message from the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, claimed that women in Afghanistan are leading “comfortable and prosperous” lives as a result of Taliban policies. Made public just prior to the upcoming Eid Al-Adha, one of the major Muslim holidays, the message states that necessary steps have been taken “for the […]
Afghanistan’s Neighboring Countries Express Concerns over the Taliban’s Counter-Terrorism Efforts, but the Taliban Dismisses Them
During the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, countries neighboring Afghanistan exhibited a lack of unity and presented diverse views and approaches addressing terrorism concerns from Afghanistan. Tajikistan expressed specific concerns over “concentrated terror groups in Afghanistan,” while China has a different approach to staying engaged with the Taliban. The envoy from Tajikistan listed 6 […]
The Taliban “Suggests” the UN replace its national Afghan women staff with men. The UN says it is “steadfast” not to replace Afghan women with men.
In a recent meeting, the UN Envoy for Afghanistan told the UN Security Council that the Taliban, “act against the key values expressed in the United Nations Charter.” Roza Otunbayeva stated that while the Taliban wants to be recognized by the UN and its 192 member nations, the group continues to imposes restrictions against the […]
Afghan lawyers and judges are being persecuted by the Taliban. It threatens Afghan women, the justice system, and the rule of law.
The dangers facing Afghanistan’s judicial system began immediately after the Taliban takeover of the government in Afghanistan and has only been intensifying in the past nearly two years. In recent days, the threats and the persecution of the former judicial system employees have intensified even further, raising alarm among human rights organizations. The Taliban’s blatant […]
Public Executions and Floggings Resume and on the Rise Under Taliban Regime
The Taliban has now carried out its second public execution since their takeover of the government nearly two years ago. In December, the Taliban executed a man from the Herat province named Tajmir, convicted of murdering a man named Mustafa – without any due process. The second execution occurred this week, according to the Taliban […]
