Photo: X/UNICEF The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has once again called for an end to the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan. On Tuesday (23 September), UNICEF published a message from Sheema Sen Gupta, the agency’s Director of Child Protection, on the social media platform X, saying: “The future of Afghanistan depends on girls’ education.” In this message, Gupta emphasized: “For four years Afghan girls have been deprived of the right to education. They have been deprived of their dreams and of their lives. Education is not only about learning, education is protection; it protects girls from child marriage, mental health issues, and a lifetime of deprivation.” She added: “UNICEF believes every child is entitled to education. We call on the Taliban to open the doors of schools and allow girls to study, because the future of Afghanistan depends on girls’ education.” This message comes as the Taliban, since their return to power in Afghanistan, have banned education for girls beyond grade six, an action that has deprived more than one and a half million girls of going to school.

GoogleImage The Purple Saturdays Movement, in response to the recent tensions between the Taliban and Donald Trump, President of the United States, issued a statement emphasizing that the Bagram Air Base is an inseparable part of Afghanistan’s territory and that no illegitimate group, especially the Taliban, has the right to make decisions about it. On Tuesday (23 September), the movement warned: “The Taliban are a terrorist group and a blatant violator of human rights that has established a regime of gender apartheid in Afghanistan through the illegal seizure of power. This group has no domestic or international legitimacy and does not represent the people of Afghanistan. Any agreement or bargain with the Taliban regarding the Bagram base means legitimizing terrorism.” The Purple Saturdays Movement also criticized U.S. policy, saying that the President of the United States is entering into negotiations with the Taliban at a time when the interests of Washington and the Taliban are being considered, but the people of Afghanistan, the true owners of this land, are being completely ignored. The movement emphasized: “Just like the infamous Doha Agreement, this time too the fate of the Afghan nation is being bargained behind closed doors; a deal that will have harmful and irreparable consequences.” It is noteworthy that the Bagram Air Base, which for nearly two decades was the main center of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, came under Taliban control after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. Since the middle of this month, Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that this base be returned to the United States, saying that if Bagram is not handed over, “bad things” will happen. The Taliban rejected this request and called it a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, stressed that not even one meter of Afghan soil will be surrendered and that Taliban forces are ready to respond strongly, even with another 20-year war. However, a few days later the Taliban, in a softer-toned statement, referred to the Doha Agreement and declared that the United States had pledged not to use force against Afghanistan. They added that based on Sharia principles and a balanced, economy-oriented foreign policy, the Taliban seek positive relations with all countries and that Washington must remain committed to its obligations.

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown On the thirtieth anniversary of the World Conference on Women in Beijing, the Executive Director of UN Women warned that gender equality in many parts of the world is regressing. Sima Bahous, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, said on Monday (September 22) at the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly: “From Afghanistan to Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, and Yemen, women and girls are paying the highest price of crises and are trapped in conditions of hunger, violence, and indescribable crises.” She added that by 2030, 351 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty and currently 676 million of them are living in conflict zones. Bahous emphasized that the year 2025 must be a turning point for changing the course. She said: “The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action remain the most comprehensive global roadmap for women’s rights, but the speed and scope of progress have not been sufficient and in some countries achievements are being lost.” These remarks come as Afghanistan has become the most visible symbol of gender regression. Since 2021, the Taliban have issued more than 70 decrees depriving women and girls of education, work, and basic freedoms such as free movement. More than 1.1 million girls have been deprived of education and women’s unemployment has reached around 80 percent. The 2025 UN report described this situation as “the most severe women’s rights crisis in the world.” The Fourth World Conference on Women was held in September 1995 in Beijing and led to the adoption of the “Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,” a comprehensive document in 12 critical areas including poverty, education, health, political participation, and environment. This document is recognized as the global roadmap for gender equality and was signed by 189 countries.

Image: Salam Watandar Local sources in Kandahar say the Taliban have banned the work of all male tailors who were sewing women’s clothing in this province. Sources told Zan News on Monday (September 22) that the Taliban have widely implemented this ban since last week and have closed tailoring shops specializing in women’s clothing. A local source, who did not want his name disclosed, added that Taliban’s Vice and Virtue forces last week arrested at least ten tailors who were later released on bail. According to him, this action by the Taliban has caused dozens of people in Kandahar to lose their jobs and has sparked strong reactions from citizens. At the same time, other sources have reported that the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Directorate has warned that more restrictions on women will be imposed. The Taliban have not yet officially commented on this matter. This comes as the Taliban in Kandahar recently ordered that shopkeepers may only sell goods to women who wear the chadari or burqa. According to this decree, women who only wear “ordinary hijab” are not allowed to enter the market and shop, and shopkeepers who disobey will face punishment. The Taliban have also made wearing the burqa mandatory for women shopkeepers and street vendors while working.

Image: AFP The Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) in a new report has warned that the situation of female journalists under Taliban rule is extremely critical. Findings of this report show that only 6.9 percent of female journalists have been able to remain active in the media, while many have been forced to work secretly and more than two-fifths have left the profession entirely. This report, published today Monday (September 22) based on a survey of 101 female journalists in July and August 2025, shows that the majority of journalists face extensive censorship, personal threats, gender-based restrictions, and lack of equipment. More than 90 percent have been forced to change or remove their reports and 54 percent have lost their jobs. According to AMSO, many women, in order to preserve their professional identity, have turned to secret work from home or freelancing, but these methods have severely limited their access to resources, colleagues, and equipment. At the same time, nearly half of the respondents said they have no hope of continuing their work in the coming year. The report also shows that more than 80 percent of journalists have received no support in the past year. AMSO emphasizes that continuation of this situation could lead to the complete silencing of women’s voices in the media. The organization has called on the international community for urgent support for Afghan female journalists and stressed that the resilience of women journalists is a sign of daily resistance against repression, but without solidarity and global action, the risk of their complete elimination from Afghanistan’s media scene is serious. This report comes at a time when, since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the situation of female journalists in Afghanistan has turned into one of the darkest periods in the country’s media history. The Taliban, through strict restrictions, have effectively eliminated women from the media.

Photo: WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP The Human Rights Activists Union, in a statement marking the International Day of Peace (21 September), declared that the people of Afghanistan today are not only deprived of peace, but are living in one of the darkest periods of contemporary history. The statement says that under Taliban rule, daily life is filled with “fear, injustice, deprivation, and poverty,” and that the current situation resembles less peace than it does a “silent and unequal war.” Human Rights Activists Union emphasized: “Peace means justice, security, education, freedom, and equal opportunities for all; but what prevails today is despotism, violence, and regression that has turned the country into a prison or a silent battlefield.” The Human Rights Activists Union added that to achieve true peace, the people of Afghanistan need a legitimate and collective struggle for social justice and human dignity; a struggle that must be pursued within the framework of human rights values and international law so that the path to sustainable and just peace can be opened. The Union also called on the international community to hold the Taliban accountable as “systematic violators of human rights,” to support the struggle of the Afghan people against terrorism, and not to allow the country to fall further into the grip of “terror and darkness.” It is worth mentioning that the International Day of Peace is observed every year on 21 September. This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 and was first celebrated in September 1982. This year, the day arrives as Afghanistan faces a “perfect storm” of humanitarian, economic, and human rights crises, with more than half of the population in need of humanitarian assistance, while the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls, including bans on education and work. Experts believe that without resolving these crises, sustainable peace in Afghanistan will remain unattainable.

Image Credit: World Health Organization (WHO) The World Health Organization (WHO), in its latest report, has warned that non-communicable diseases and mental health problems in Afghanistan have become a silent yet devastating crisis, with women being the most affected. According to the report, published on Sunday (September 21), heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses account for 43 percent of annual deaths in Afghanistan, a figure projected to rise to more than 60 percent by 2030, mainly among women. Heart disease alone takes more than 40,000 lives each year, placing Afghanistan among the countries with the highest mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases. Cancer also weighs heavily on women. Breast and cervical cancer are among the three most common types, but most patients seek medical help only in advanced stages, when treatment is far less effective. The report adds that the mental health of the Afghan population has also become one of the serious yet overlooked concerns. According to statistics, one in five Afghans lives with a mental health condition, and more than half of the families who returned from Pakistan and Iran in the past year have suffered from anxiety, depression, or stress. However, many provincial hospitals and primary health centers still lack psychiatric units, leaving thousands of families, particularly vulnerable women and children, without access to health services. WHO’s representative in Afghanistan, Dr. Edwin Ceniza Salvador, said: “Millions of people across Afghanistan carry the daily burden of chronic diseases and mental health problems. This situation places enormous pressure on the country’s fragile health system. Beyond physical illness, psychological suffering continues to affect families and communities. This reality shows that our shared responsibility, from WHO to national institutions and donors, is to expand access to health and mental health services and support the most vulnerable.” The report comes at a time when women in Afghanistan face serious barriers to accessing health services, including the ban on being examined by male doctors, the requirement to have a male guardian when visiting medical centers, and the prohibition on girls’ education in medical fields. These restrictions have intensified the health crisis and left the majority of women and girls deprived of medical care.

Social Media Local sources in Farah province say the bodies of three minor girls were found in a well in Khak-e-Safid district after being missing for eleven days. A local source told Zan News on Sunday (September 21) that the girls included two sisters and their cousin. According to him, the victims were 5, 8, and 10 years old. Mohammad Nasim Badri, spokesman for the Taliban’s provincial police command in Farah, confirmed the incident and said the bodies of the three children were discovered on Saturday (September 19). He added that the girls had disappeared from their home 11 days earlier and that investigations into the main motive of the incident are still ongoing. This comes as, since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, criminal cases in Afghanistan have increased alarmingly, a trend largely attributed to the economic crisis, widespread unemployment, weak law enforcement, and the absence of independent judicial institutions.

Social Media Local sources in Laghman province say that a man in Mehtarlam city, the provincial capital, has killed his wife by shooting her. The incident occurred on Friday night (September 19) in the “Maidaniyo” area. According to local sources, the man first severely beat his wife and then killed her with gunfire from a Kalashnikov. Sources added that the man was addicted to drugs and fled the area after committing the murder. Taliban local officials have confirmed the killing and said that investigations are underway. This comes as, since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, cases of femicide and domestic violence against women in Afghanistan have risen significantly. The dismantling of support institutions, severe restrictions on women, and growing economic and social pressures are cited as key factors behind this increase.

Sent to Zan TV The Afghanistan Women’s Powerful Movement, in reaction to the Taliban’s widespread internet shutdown, stated that this action is not a technical restriction but a deliberate tool to hide the Taliban’s crimes and silence the voices of Afghan women. In a statement issued by the movement it was said: “Cutting off the internet is not merely a technical measure; this decision is part of the Taliban’s project to isolate Afghan society, silence the voices of women, and prevent the exposure of their crimes against our people.” The movement emphasized that women are the most harmed by these policies, as the internet is their only window to education, awareness, and civil resistance. According to them, by closing even this window, the Taliban are practically trying to turn Afghanistan into a “prison of silence.” Members of the Afghan Women’s Empowerment Movement warned that the Taliban must be held accountable for this illegal act. They called on the international community, human rights organizations, and defenders of freedom of expression to immediately take a stance against this action and apply practical pressure to restore free access to the internet. The statement also called on independent media and freedom-seeking forces to echo the voices of Afghan women against this “systematic censorship.” In addition, it urged the people of Afghanistan, especially women and youth, to create solidarity networks and alternative methods of communication to prevent the Taliban from achieving their goal of “completely silencing society.” The movement emphasized at the end: “The people of Afghanistan do not deserve silence. Afghan women will never allow the Taliban to draw a wall of silence around them by cutting off the internet. We will continue our struggle for freedom, equality, and justice with even greater strength.” The movement also called on Elon Musk, owner of global internet networks, to provide satellite internet to the people of Afghanistan, an internet outside the Taliban’s control that would allow deprived girls and women to access online educational opportunities. This comes as the Taliban in recent weeks have cut internet services in various provinces, an action that has drawn widespread domestic and international reactions. Human rights activists consider this a tool for suppressing freedom of expression and concealing the Taliban’s human rights violations and crimes.