Women’s rights to an education have been under attack by the Taliban since the terrorist group took over in August 2021. The group continues to roll out restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan everyday. At this moment, girls are not allowed to go to university or secondary school. Even private courses are banned for […]
Taliban Leader: Afghan Women’s Rights “have been fully secured” despite ongoing gender apartheid
Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban’s leader, said in a recent statement that women’s rights in Afghanistan “have been fully secured.” The Taliban leader who has never been seen in public or by any official except Taliban members, claimed that women have been given their full rights under Sharia. It is unclear which standards the Taliban is […]
A coalition of Afghan women, Together Stronger, defends women’s rights despite the Taliban’s gender apartheid
The Taliban has been punishing women with arrests and physical violence citing claims of what the group calls “bad hijab.” Abdul Ghafar Farooq, the spokesman for the Taliban, has stated that women “violated the Islamic values and rituals, and encouraged society and other respected sisters to go for bad hijab. In every province, those who […]
Seven out of every ten people in Afghanistan are unable to meet their basic life requirements
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports that Afghanistan is in a deepening economic crisis and suffering economic insecurity under the Taliban regime. The organization stated in a report released recently that 69% of Afghanistan’s population faces a shortage of necessities such as healthcare, essential goods, suitable living conditions and job opportunities, particularly for women. […]
Taliban Imprisoning Women in the Name of Safety Raises Human Rights Concerns
In a UN report published today, the Taliban’s response to gender-based violence against women in Afghanistan has raised serious human rights concerns. Contrary to international standards, the Taliban now often referred to as the “de facto authorities” have reportedly resorted to imprisoning women as a means of protection, reflecting a divergence from established legal frameworks […]
Afghan Women Oppose the Recognition of the Taliban. It Demonstrates the Deteriorating Conditions for Women in Afghanistan.
In a United Nations (UN) report released in September, UN Women, IOM and UNAMA interviewed 592 Afghan women from 22 of 34 provinces of Afghanistan. The study aimed at understanding priorities, views of international engagement, and recommendations to improve women’s rights and well-being. The findings illustrate just how untenable life in Afghanistan has become for […]
Japan Promises the Taliban to Expand Their Relations with the International Community Despite the Taliban’s Horrific Treatment of Women and Girls
During his farewell meeting, the outgoing Ambassador of Japan to Afghanistan, Takashi Okada, highlighted Japan’s efforts to expand the Taliban’s relations with the global community and the provision of humanitarian assistance in the wake of the recent earthquake in Herat. Japan has historically maintained full diplomatic relations with Afghanistan and continues to do so. The […]
Solutions Lagging Behind the Urgency: United Nations Addressed Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan
Recently, the United Nations Security Council met to discuss the issue of gender apartheid in Afghanistan and compel the Taliban to stop policies of gender apartheid. Issues of human rights and women’s rights are fading from the global landscape’s attention. It is more important than ever to continue to fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan […]
China’s Ambassador to Afghanistan as a Catalyst to Slippery Slope of International Recognition for Taliban
Recently, China announced its new ambassador to Afghanistan, Zhao Xing, who presented himself at a lavish ceremony in Kabul last week. He is the first foreign envoy to occupy an ambassador position since the Taliban took power in August 2021. The Taliban has not been officially recognized by any government, but they celebrated this moment […]
Human Rights Crimes Against Former Government Officials Further Solidifies Taliban’s Grip of Power on Afghanistan
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released a report recently calling attention to several instances of human rights violations by the Taliban against former government officials across 34 different provinces in the country, with the greatest occurring in Kabul. To date, there have been at least 800 instances of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest, torture […]
“Immeasurably Cruel” Oppression of Afghan Women and a Further Collapse of Human Rights
The United Nations Rights Chief accused the Taliban of a “shocking level of oppression” of women and girls, and said that more broadly, human rights in the country were in “collapse.” The observation and fulfillment of human rights in Afghanistan has been in steady decline since the takeover of the government by the Taliban in […]
What is “Freedom” to the Taliban? The Taliban’s Constricted Vision for Afghanistan’s Future.
The Taliban has remained firm and doubled down on its vision for the future of Afghanistan. Since its takeover of the Afghan government 2 years ago, it established a de facto government, composed of different ministries to impose their interpretation of an “Islamic” rule and rollback the achievements of the former government. The Taliban has […]
The Costly Price of Gender Apartheid: Afghanistan’s Brain Drain in the Face of Taliban Rule
Afghanistan faces a bleak future as the Taliban’s oppressive regime takes hold, exacerbating the country’s brain drain crisis, with educated Afghans seeking safety elsewhere, leaving behind a fractured society struggling to retain its intellectual capital. Many Afghans have sooner or later come to realize that the Taliban’s empty promises of a reformed leadership were crafted […]
A Lack of Strategy for US Foreign Policy in Afghanistan Means an Uncertain Future for Both Countries
Since its withdrawal from the country in August 2021 and the return of the Taliban, the US has lacked a comprehensive foreign policy strategy for Afghanistan. This sentiment has been made especially clear in the meeting that State Department representatives attended in Doha to negotiate with Taliban representatives. This was the first known meeting between […]
Afghan Girls Above Age 10 are Barred from Primary Schools in Afghanistan, Casting a Shadow on Education
Girls over the age of 10 have been banned from attending primary school in Afghanistan in the latest edict issued by the Taliban-led Ministry of Education. Taliban leaders met with school principals in certain provinces and told them strictly that “any girl over 10 years of age is not allowed to study in primary schools.” […]
Unveiling Tyranny: Taliban’s Decree restricts women’s movement & Deepens Gender Apartheid
In its latest decree, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice stated that women must observe the full “hijab” in order to ride in taxi vehicles. The decree not only targets Afghan women, but penalizes male guardians of women who defy the Taliban’s policing of women’s lives and face punishment […]
Amnesty Denied for Prosecutors Marks a Growing Threat to Afghanistan’s Judicial System
In response to a recent claim by Taliban officials that there are no threats against prosecutors or judges in Afghanistan, the International Organization for Transitional Justice and Peace (ITJP) has released a statement outlining the very real threat that members of the justice system face. In the statement, ITJP disputes the claim made by the […]
Afghan Journalists in Jeopardy and the Taliban’s Tightening Grip on Media Freedom
The Taliban has halted local TV network’s broadcasts in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. Hamesha Bahar TV and Radio network was the outlet targeted in a Taliban raid of the office on Monday. This is not an isolated incident, nor the first of its kind, as the media outlet had a similar situation and treatment […]
US officials and Taliban leaders engage in talks in Qatar amid mounting concerns over normalization of the Taliban
Amidst a backdrop of heightened tensions and uncertainties, US officials and Taliban leaders met in Qatar for two days. In an announcement made by the head of its political office in Doha, the Taliban revealed that talks commenced between a Taliban delegation and US representatives on July 30. While engagement is deemed necessary, especially to […]
The Political Offside: Politics Takes the Field in Afghan Women’s Fight to Play Soccer
Thousands gathered at a stadium in Brisbane to watch Australia’s World Cup match against Nigeria. Among the crowd, sitting close to the pitch were players from the Afghan women’s national team, who are now exiled. They dream of representing their country again, as they have done in the past. Currently, however, the national team is […]
