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Karima, a woman who lives in Kabul with her three daughters, is an example of the many female household heads in Afghanistan who face numerous challenges in providing for their families and caring for their children amidst the country's current economic and social hardships. Fifteen years ago, Karima lost her husband in a car accident and has since been solely responsible for raising her three daughters. Due to various health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems, Karima is unable to work. The only source of income for the family is the 14-year-old daughter, who sells vegetables on the streets dressed as a boy. Karima says, "I am sick myself. I have diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Because of this, I cannot work. Only one daughter of mine works, who is 14 years old. My daughter dresses as a boy and works so that she appears to be a boy, because if it is known that she is a girl, she cannot work and will face problems." Speaking about the challenges her 14-year-old daughter faced working outside the home, she said, "My daughter used to face a lot of problems when she worked outside the home. She had long hair and wore a headscarf, which caused her problems at work. People who knew she was a girl, they say all kinds of things to her. Finally, I had to cut her hair short and put her in boy's clothes." Karima's daughter also faces harassment and work stoppage by the Taliban while working. Karimeh says, "The Taliban create problems, sometimes they let my daughter's cart work and sometimes they don't." The Karima family is struggling with extreme poverty. They are barely able to afford basic living expenses such as food, shelter, and medicine. Karima says she has not been able to pay rent for three months and they often go through meals without food. Karima speaks about the hardships of meeting basic needs: "We are unable to meet our basic needs. We are struggling to get by, and our days and nights are spent in hardship. Even if we have food one time, we won't have food for two other times." She has also faced gender discrimination due to being a woman. Her brother-in-law threw her out of her husband's house and deprived her of her inheritance. Karima says, "When my husband died, my brother-in-law threw me out of the house and did not give me my rights because I was a woman and I could not defend myself." Karima has so far received little help from humanitarian organizations. She says that aid often goes to people close to the "representative of area" and not to needy families like hers. Karima says about the challenges of female-headed households in Afghanistan that "the situation in Afghanistan is very bad. It is very difficult for a woman to earn a living for her family and household and to be the head of the household." Karima's wish for the future is to have a peaceful and secure life for herself and her daughters. She hopes that her daughters will be able to go to school, get an education and have a good job. Karima also calls for equal rights for women and equal opportunities for education, work and participation in society. She calls on the Taliban to allow women to be educated and employed.

Photo: WHO The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has announced that during 2024, more than two million children in Afghanistan have received the measles vaccine. This organization stated on Monday (28 April) through a message that all vaccinated children were under five years of age, and the purpose of this action has been stated as protecting them against preventable diseases. Emphasizing its commitment to supporting children across Afghanistan, UNICEF added that, in cooperation with its partners, it strives to ensure that children throughout Afghanistan are protected against preventable diseases such as measles. This comes as the World Health Organization had warned last year about the increase in measles cases in Afghanistan. The organization had recorded about 25,000 suspected cases of infection and 64 deaths caused by this disease in the country.

Photo: UN Dozens of civil organizations and groups advocating for women's rights and social activists have expressed concern over and strongly criticized the "Comprehensive Approach for Afghanistan" plan by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a joint statement. The statement says that this plan is contrary to the impartial and humanitarian mission of the United Nations and provides a platform for legitimizing the Taliban. 54 civil organizations have warned that the participation of the Taliban in this plan undermines the principles of democracy and human rights and eliminates the true voice of the people, especially women. The signatories of this statement emphasized that the "mosaic approach" in the UNAMA plan reduces human rights to negotiable issues and considers this approach contradictory to the universal principles of human rights. Furthermore, these organizations have called the instrumental use of humanitarian aid for political purposes unacceptable and stated that such an action undermines the principle of neutrality in humanitarian aid. The signatories have warned that the UNAMA plan paves the way for the Taliban's return to the international system without any fundamental changes in their behavior or structure. They have called for the immediate suspension of this process, a fundamental review of the plan with the involvement of true representatives of the Afghan people, non-recognition of the Taliban, and a return of UNAMA to its human rights-centered and impartial mission. Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) had previously prepared a roadmap titled "Comprehensive Approach for Afghanistan" on February 17, 2025. According to UNAMA, this roadmap aims to create a political path for achieving peace and reintegrating Afghanistan into the global community. UNAMA has clarified that this plan was developed based on the United Nations' independent assessments and with the approval of Security Council Resolution 2721. Despite this, some women’s rights activists have emphasized that this approach, instead of supporting the rights of the people of Afghanistan, paves the way for legitimizing the Taliban.

Photo: A. Perez Meca/Europa Press/ABACAPRESS.COM The Purple Saturdays Movement has warned in a statement that the possible suspension of the relocation process for local employees and human rights activists to Germany could place dozens of individuals in direct danger. The movement stated that such a decision by the future German government would be a troubling sign of disregard for the fate of those who, for years, worked alongside German institutions in support of human rights values, especially women's rights. The statement added that these individuals at risk may not only fall victim to structural violence and gender apartheid, but could also be used by the Taliban and extremist groups as tools to apply political pressure on the German government and the international community. The Purple Saturdays Movement emphasized that continuing the relocation of these individuals is a humanitarian, moral, political, and historical responsibility for Germany, a country that has long been at the forefront of defending human rights, particularly women's rights. According to the statement, women under threat spend each day in fear and anxiety, looking to the German government with hope that it will honor its commitments and treat the support of local partners and women not merely as a promise, but as a critical and urgent priority. The movement has called on all civil society organizations, human rights institutions, media, and women's rights activists to raise their voices in solidarity to help save the lives of those at risk. This comes as German media in recent days have reported a temporary halt to the relocation of Afghan refugees. According to reports, more than 2,600 government-approved Afghan refugees are currently in Pakistan.

Photo: Paula Bronstein | Getty Images In a world full of human rights slogans, education is still not a right but a conditional privilege for many children, especially girls. For Afghan girls, this privilege is now more threatened than ever before, both under the shadow of the Taliban in Afghanistan and under the sunlight of discrimination in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Two systems, two ideologies, but one shared goal: the systematic denial of Afghan children’s right to education. The Policy of Elimination: From Kabul to Tehran The Education Department of Tehran’s counties recently issued an official notice declaring that Afghan refugee students who hold census slips or return-to-Afghanistan papers are no longer allowed to enroll in schools in Iran for the 1404 academic year. This announcement clearly indicates that the Iranian government has decided to effectively remove thousands of Afghan refugee children from its formal education system. The text of this directive states that school principals should not only refuse to enroll these students but also must not refer their families to the Department of Education for further assistance. Such a decision gives this discrimination a completely formal and legal face and, in effect, closes the doors of education to Afghan children. Many of these children left Afghanistan with nothing but hope for an education. Girls: The Perpetual Victims According to official statistics, more than two million Afghan refugees in Iran possess census slips. Among them, around 610,000 students have been enrolled in Iranian schools. It is now unclear how many of these students will be deprived of their right to education due to this new decision. What is clear, however, is the rapid collapse of educational rights for Afghans in a country that claims to uphold Islamic justice. Afghan girls are once again the first victims. In Afghanistan, the Taliban closed the doors of schools to them. Now in Iran, they are losing even the chance to register. Families who endured hardship and risked everything through migration for the future of their children are now faced with locked doors, closed and sealed by official order. The Taliban and the Islamic Republic: Two Paths, One Destination The Taliban, with a rigid and extremist interpretation of religion, declared school forbidden for girls. The Islamic Republic of Iran, using administrative and legal procedures, achieves the same result without the need for an official announcement banning girls' education. Both ultimately arrive at the same conclusion: preventing the intellectual growth and empowerment of the young Afghan generation, especially girls. This unspoken yet obvious alignment is a serious warning for the international community and human rights organizations. If the Taliban, in the name of religion, and Iran, in the name of law, are depriving children of education, then what difference remains between the two? Education: The Last Remaining Stronghold In a world where Afghan refugees face waves of inequality, discrimination, and violence, education remains the last stronghold of hope. A child who holds a pen might be able to break the chains of discrimination. But when that very pen is taken away, the future becomes dark not only for the child but for an entire society. Preventing children from accessing education, especially based on ethnicity or documentation status, is a blatant violation of human rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and even the fundamental principles of Islam. Yet in the face of this clear violation, not only do international organizations remain silent, but their indifferent silence has itself become a form of complicity. An End to Injustice? Afghan girls in Kabul were pushed out of school after sixth grade. Afghan girls in Tehran are deprived of the right to register before even entering the classroom. And families who were searching for a way to save their children’s future now find themselves trapped once again, this time by policy, cruelty, and injustice. When education, the most basic human right, is taken from an Afghan child, what justice is left to talk about?

Photo: afintl Since the Taliban’s return to power on August 15, 2021, various narratives have emerged about the group. One of the most prominent is the idea of dividing the Taliban into two opposing factions: The Kandahar circle led by Hibatullah Akhundzada, seen as hardline and ideological The Haqqani network in Kabul, described by some as “pragmatic” and “realistic” Some believe that the rise of pragmatism within parts of the Taliban could fundamentally transform the group’s behavior and policies. Such portrayals in the region have encouraged several countries to engage with the Kandahar faction, including the handover of Afghan embassies to the Taliban in Tehran and Beijing, and recognition by Moscow. But the key question remains: can the Taliban truly abandon their extremist ideology? Pragmatism or Survival Tactic? Evidence shows that what is labeled as Taliban “pragmatism” is less a sign of strategic change and more a tactic for survival and false legitimacy. In the Doha agreement with the United States, the Taliban pledged to cut ties with terrorist groups, but in reality: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in the heart of Kabul in 2022 Regional terrorist groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continue to enjoy Taliban support and safe haven These examples show that Taliban “flexibility” is mainly a tool for buying time and securing concessions, not a real shift in ideological beliefs. Eliminating Women: A Shared Red Line If the Taliban were truly pragmatic, they would have shown flexibility in policies concerning women. Instead, their decisions prove the opposite: Since September 2021, girls’ schools above sixth grade have been closed In December 2022, women were banned from university education Women’s work in government offices and many NGOs has been restricted or prohibited These policies show that eliminating women from public life is a non-negotiable red line for the Taliban, both in Kandahar and Kabul. A Double Face in Foreign Relations The Taliban have tried to project a dual image on the international stage: The Haqqani network in Kabul meets with diplomats and speaks of cooperation against ISIS and developing trade In Kandahar, the Taliban leader and his circle continue to insist on absolute Emirate rule, strict enforcement of Sharia, and rejection of any concept of citizenship or freedom of expression This duality has confused some countries, but the reality is that there is no fundamental difference between the two factions. Both rest on the same ethnic chauvinism, terrorist ties, and misogyny. Fighting ISIS: A Propaganda Show The Taliban have repeatedly highlighted operations against ISIS to present themselves as reliable partners in counterterrorism. Yet, deadly ISIS attacks in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, and other provinces show the threat remains. At the same time, the Taliban have occasionally used the name of ISIS to eliminate internal rivals or repress the Hazara community. This shows that “fighting ISIS” is more a media show than a genuine security policy. Conclusion The Taliban, whether in Kabul or Kandahar, have not changed in their ideological essence. Misogyny, repression of freedoms, ethnic supremacy, and ties to transnational terrorism remain the core elements of their policy. What is called “pragmatism” is only a deceptive mask to gain international legitimacy and to cling to power. If the international community chooses to ignore this deception, it is the people of Afghanistan—especially women—who will pay the price. Writer: Nilofar Nayebi, Afghan journalist in exile

AFP Recent human rights reports have raised serious concerns over the forced return policies of migrants from Turkey to unsafe countries such as Afghanistan and Syria. These reports particularly highlight the European Union’s financial support to Turkey, amounting to more than 11 billion euros, provided as part of migration management and crisis response agreements. This approach by the European Union to control migration flows comes amid consistent warnings from human rights organisations about the deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in those countries. EU Financial Support and Turkey’s Role: According to the report, the European Union has provided substantial financial assistance to Turkey to enable the country to play a more active role in managing the migration and refugee crisis. These funds, allocated through financial agreements and joint border management programmes, were primarily intended to improve migration infrastructure and help meet the basic needs of refugees. However, evidence indicates that part of this funding has been used to implement forced return policies, which are inconsistent with international human rights standards. Situation in Afghanistan and Syria: The forced return of migrants to Afghanistan and Syria is highly sensitive and alarming from a human rights perspective. Security conditions in Afghanistan have severely deteriorated since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, with serious threats to life and fundamental freedoms. Reports from multiple human rights organisations indicate that Afghan returnees face significant risks, including arrest, torture, and even death. In Syria, after more than a decade of civil war, the security and humanitarian situation remains critical. Large parts of the country are still controlled by armed groups and authorities with a record of human rights violations. The return of migrants to Syria could expose them to grave human rights abuses, including threats to life, torture, and enforced disappearances. Violation of International Law: According to the principles of the 1951 Geneva Convention and its related refugee protocols, the forced return of individuals to countries where their life or freedom may be at risk due to insecurity is strictly prohibited. The principle of non-refoulement, a fundamental cornerstone of international humanitarian law, states that no person should be returned to a place where they face serious threats to their life or safety. Turkey’s actions in forcibly returning migrants to unsafe countries clearly constitute a violation of these principles. Moreover, the European Union, as a financial partner supporting these migration programmes, may also be considered complicit in breaching international law if it is aware of such forced returns and fails to take appropriate action. Recommendations: Turkey: Must immediately halt all forced returns and align its migration policies with international human rights standards. European Union: As one of Turkey’s main financial supporters in migration management, it must ensure that its funds are not used to violate human rights and establish effective monitoring mechanisms for return procedures. United Nations: Should strengthen its oversight of migrants returned to Afghanistan and Syria and provide greater protection and support to prevent further human rights violations. Human Rights Organisations: Must intensify efforts to document and report these violations while increasing international pressure to end the policy of forced returns. Although the European Union’s financial assistance to Turkey has been provided with the stated aim of managing the migration crisis, if such support results in human rights violations, it not only contravenes the principles of international law but also undermines confidence in humanitarian approaches and the protection of refugee rights.

Photo: © 2011 Farzana Wahidy / Human Rights Watch Three years after the Taliban’s return to power, new accounts from the group’s prisons and detention centers are revealing one of the darkest aspects of their rule: arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, and sexual violence against women. Findings show that women detainees are not only imprisoned without fair trial but are subjected to brutal and inhumane violence during interrogation and detention. Witnesses say the Taliban force women to strip naked during interrogations and, if they resist, beat their genitals with cables and rifle butts. One protesting woman, who asked not to be named for security reasons, recounted that she was held for ten days in a detention center in western Kabul and one night was raped by two Taliban fighters. She said: “The Taliban repeatedly asked me who supports you and why you protest. When I did not answer, they beat me and forced me to undress. If I resisted, they beat me severely.” She continued: “We were six in one room; two girls and four women. One of the girls had just been engaged and was arrested only because of her short length of her trousers. She was raped before me, and then they took me.” This woman said her family managed to secure her release from Pul-e-Charkhi prison after paying a bribe: “They made us pledge not to talk to the media. They threatened that if anything was said, they would kill my entire family. Many times I tried to kill myself but failed. Even now every night I see the prison scenes in my sleep.” Similar cases have been reported across the country. Marina, a 23-year-old girl arrested in Kabul for “not wearing hijab,” was found dead in a stream after twenty days of rape and torture. Her family disappeared after seeking justice. In Balkh, too, the body of a young woman was found days after her detention in a Taliban base; sources said she had first been raped and then shot dead. Over the past three years, the Taliban have imprisoned women and girls under accusations such as “extramarital relations,” “running away from home,” “collaboration with opposition fronts,” and even “protesting against the Taliban.” In none of these cases are fair trial procedures followed. Women have no defense lawyers and no free access to their families. According to sources, many families are only allowed visits after paying bribes. In Badakhshan, Balkh, Takhar, Ghazni, and Maidan Wardak provinces, dozens of women remain in prison in unknown conditions. In Uruzgan and several other provinces, there are no women’s prisons at all, and women are held in the houses of Taliban officials. Aisha (alias), a young woman from Takhar, recounted: “My family wanted to marry me off to a Taliban commander. I refused and ran away. On the way, the Taliban caught me and took me to a detention center. I was there for 12 days, raped twice, and beaten every day. Then I was transferred to Takhar central prison and spent seven months there.” She continued: “Women were forced to give in to the sexual demands of Taliban members. Anyone who resisted was tortured with cables and lashes. At night some women were taken away and brought back in the morning. Finally, after seven months, my relatives sent money and I was released through a bribe.” These gathered testimonies paint one picture: Taliban prisons are not places of justice but arenas of humiliation and sexual enslavement of women. Threats against families and the absence of monitoring bodies have allowed these crimes to continue in secrecy. The fundamental question is: how long will the world remain silent about the fate of women who, behind the walls of Taliban prisons, are being driven into slavery and torture? Written by Nilofar Nayebi, Afghan journalist in exile

Image Source: maltepeekspress The situation of Afghan refugees in Turkey, particularly those without residence documents (Kimlik), has been reported as deeply concerning. They face the risk of arrest and deportation while being deprived of basic human rights such as education, healthcare, and shelter. Local sources in several cities, including Istanbul, Van, Kayseri, and Bilecik, say that Afghan children without Kimlik have been unable to enrol in public schools, and their families, lacking medical insurance, face serious health challenges in emergencies. In addition, reports have emerged of the widespread rejection of Afghan asylum applications by Turkey’s Directorate of Migration Management. Experts say these decisions are made without transparency or the right to appeal, leaving thousands of families at risk of deportation and legal uncertainty. One of the major but less-discussed issues is the exploitation of undocumented Afghan labourers. Many of these workers are employed in construction, industrial workshops, and factories, performing hard and hazardous work for very low wages. According to local sources, employers have repeatedly withheld payment, and migrants, lacking Kimlik and fearing arrest, are unable to seek legal recourse. An Afghan worker in Istanbul said: “We work twelve hours a day, but if they refuse to pay, there is nothing we can do. We have no documents, and no one hears our voices.” The rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and discrimination in the housing market has also become a major problem. Many landlords refuse to rent homes to Afghan refugees, and in exceptional cases where they do, rents are unfairly inflated. With the start of the school year, this housing crisis has reached its peak for Afghan families. At the same time, the inspection and control of Kimlik documents in cities and marketplaces have sharply increased, creating fear, anxiety, and severe restrictions on the movement of Afghan migrants. Human rights activists have called on the international community to take action to protect Afghan refugees in Turkey and to urge the Turkish government to uphold its international obligations toward refugees.

Image: AFP As the new wave of arrests of women and girls in Kabul on charges of what the Taliban call “improper hijab” continues, the news of the suicide of 21-year-old women’s rights protester Bibi Gul, also known as Zahra Mohammadi, in Kunduz has shocked Afghan activists. This incident, beyond a personal tragedy, symbolizes the deep human rights crisis and the unbearable psychological pressures faced by protesting women in Afghanistan. According to credible sources who spoke to Zan News, Bibi Gul had been living under severe psychological distress after being arrested and tortured by the Taliban in 2021 and ultimately ended her life. She was a member of the Afghanistan Women’s Solidarity Movement and was arrested during a street protest in Kunduz in late September 2021. Sources close to her family say the Taliban held her for two days and subjected her to torture. After her release, “she constantly thought about suicide.” Local sources report that after her arrest, Bibi Gul’s family was also placed under heavy pressure and threats by the Taliban. Zahra Mohammadi blamed herself for the situation her family was facing. Sources confirmed to Zan News that Bibi Gul threw herself into a well in Kunduz last Friday and died in the provincial hospital on Sunday (December 31). The Afghan Women’s Solidarity Movement, confirming her death, stated that “this suicide is a direct result of the Taliban’s pressure on protesting women.” Women’s rights activist Freshta Arifi told Zan News: “Zahra Mohammadi was a brave girl, but after her imprisonment by the Taliban and facing family restrictions, she ended her life. This is a serious warning about the situation of women activists in Afghanistan.” In recent weeks, the Taliban have launched a large-scale campaign of arrests targeting women and girls in Kabul, especially in the western parts of the city. The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice confirmed the arrests, claiming that “the goal is to punish those who do not observe hijab.” In response, the United Nations and Amnesty International condemned the arrests and called for the immediate release of the detained women. Bibi Gul’s death is not an isolated incident; it reflects the growing psychological, social, and security pressures faced by Afghan women activists under Taliban rule. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been banned from secondary and higher education, employment in government and many private institutions, and even from traveling without a male guardian. These policies, described by many human rights organizations as “gender apartheid,” have led to rising depression, suicides, and forced migration among women. The suicide of Zahra Mohammadi is not merely a heartbreaking event; it is an alarm bell for the condition of women in Afghanistan. As the Taliban continue to tighten their control over women’s lives through their rigid interpretation of “Sharia,” the international community must intensify pressure on the group to ensure Afghan women’s basic rights and freedoms. Every silence only paves the way for the repetition of such tragedies.