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 […]
Ohio’s Abortion Rights Amendment Qualifies for November Ballot
In November, Ohio voters will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to include a right to reproductive freedom. State officials said on Tuesday that the petition had culled 495,938 valid signatures across 55 counties, surpassing the requisite 413,487 signatures across 44 counties. Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights led the […]
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 […]
Opill Becomes First FDA-Approved Contraceptive Pill for Over-the-Counter Use
In the United States, the path to accessible birth control pills hasn’t always been easy. Although the first FDA-approved birth control pill became available in 1960, the Comstock Act (a 150 year old “chastity law”) has created barriers to accessing it. These barriers were not challenged until Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965, when the Supreme […]
Biden-Harris Administration Forgives Student Debt for 804,000 Borrowers
When the Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden’s $400 billion student debt relief plan, he remained determined. At a June 30 press conference he told reporters, “We need to find a new way.” Two weeks later, the Department of Education announced the details: it will cancel $39 billion in Federal student loans. On July […]
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. […]
Though Most Iowans Support Abortion Access, Legislators Pass Six-Week Ban
Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court deadlocked 3-3 on whether the state could reinstate an abortion ban around six weeks. The case centered around a 2018 statute that many people believed had “no chance of taking effect,” Justice Thomas D. Waterman observed. Without Court consensus, abortion remained legal until 20 weeks of pregnancy. That changed […]
Supreme Court Lets Businesses Discriminate Against a Protected Class for the First Time in History
In 2017, the Supreme Court heard a case about a bakery owner who refused to create a cake for a gay wedding. The Court ruled that the cake represented free expression, so the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) could not force the owner to sell a cake for the couple’s wedding. On June 30, the Court […]
Democrats Reintroduce Legislation to Expand the Supreme Court, Set Term Limits
The Supreme Court ended its term with decisions that challenged precedent and rolled back rights for the environment, Black and Latino college applicants, same-sex couples, and student loan borrowers. With a 6-3 conservative majority, the Court is making its highest rate of conservative decisions since 1931.Two of its Justices have violated ethics protocol and its […]
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 […]
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Goes into Effect
Last Tuesday, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which President Biden signed into law last year, went into effect. This new law will expand “long-overdue protections to ensure that workers experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions have the right to reasonable accommodations in the workplace,” according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Now […]
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 […]