Social Media The session for presenting Afghanistan’s fourth periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was held on Tuesday (24 June) at the UN Human Rights Council headquarters in Geneva. A number of prominent figures including Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Dr. Sima Samar, Shukria Barakzai, Fawzia Koofi, and other women’s rights activists were present at the session. Participants, referring to the widespread restrictions against women and girls in Afghanistan, called for the current situation to be recognized as “gender apartheid.” According to them, the ruling policies in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan have resulted in the systematic exclusion of women from public, educational, legal, and economic spheres. Nasir Ahmad Andisha said that Afghanistan is a committed member of the CEDAW Committee, having joined in 2003, but following the Taliban’s return to power, the country has faced severe setbacks in the area of women’s rights. Fawzia Koofi, former member of parliament, stated that the exclusion of women from the domestic arena has extended to international platforms as well, and women are now regarded as second-class citizens in Afghanistan. Shukria Barakzai, former member of the National Assembly, added that the Taliban’s actions against women are in violation of international law and the restrictions are justified with cultural excuses. She called for urgent international action to support women both inside and outside Afghanistan. Dr. Sima Samar also said that the silence of guns does not mean peace in Afghanistan, and the continuation of the current situation may lead to the normalization of human rights violations. She emphasized that with the Taliban’s return to power, all mechanisms established over the past 20 years to prevent violence against women and support vulnerable women have been dismantled. Zarqa Yaftali, Negara Mehrdad, and Farrokh Laqa Ownchizadah also emphasized in their speeches the situation of rural women, minorities, forced marriages, torture, arbitrary detentions, and the structural exclusion of women from social participation. Participants in the session called for holding the Taliban accountable for their international obligations, including under the CEDAW convention, and stressed the need to support women at risk, particularly in asylum and resettlement processes.

Photo: afintl Sources have reported that an eight-year-old Afghan child named "Mobina" was killed after being sexually assaulted in Peshawar, Pakistan. Sources told media on Tuesday (24 June) that the child was abducted while returning from school, and her body was found three days later by the police inside a box in a house. It has been stated that the individual accused of sexually assaulting and killing the child has been arrested and has confessed to his crime. Sources added that the child's family had immigrated to Pakistan due to unemployment after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. It is worth mentioning that after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, some citizens have been forced to migrate in neighboring countries due to security threats, restrictions, and unemployment.

Social Media As a result of an explosion caused by leftover ordnance in Dara-e-Noor district of Nangarhar province, two children have been killed and two others injured. Sayed Tayeb Hamad, spokesperson for the Taliban police command in Nangarhar, said the incident occurred on Tuesday (24 June) in the “Lamatak” area of Dara-e-Noor district and happened when the children were playing with unexploded ammunition. According to him, the injured children were transferred to Nangarhar provincial hospital, and their medical condition has been reported as “stable.” It is worth noting that just a few days ago, another explosion of ordnance in Shirzad district of Nangarhar killed a woman and injured a child. Mines and unexploded ordnance remain a serious threat to Afghan citizens, especially children. According to a United Nations report, around 3.3 million people in Afghanistan live near areas contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance.

Social Media Following the collapse of a house roof in Shahr-e Bozorg district of Badakhshan province, two children have died and another child has been injured. Local Taliban officials in Badakhshan say the incident occurred around 10 p.m. on Monday night (23 June) in the village of “Khasar” in Shahr-e Bozorg district. According to Mawlawi Mohammad Akram Akbari, head of the Taliban’s Natural Disaster Management Department in the province, a 17-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy lost their lives as a result of the incident. Additionally, a 10-year-old child sustained minor injuries and is under care. It is reported that the roof of the room where the children were present collapsed due to wear and water damage caused by continuous rainfall. Local residents said the house had been in need of renovation for years, but the family’s extreme poverty prevented any repair. It is worth noting that Badakhshan province, due to its mountainous location and harsh climatic conditions, is frequently exposed to natural disasters such as earthquakes, avalanches, and house collapses. Many residential houses in this province are made of mud bricks and have little resistance against heavy rainfall.

Photo by JOHN MINCHILLO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images The United Nations Security Council’s quarterly meeting on Afghanistan was held on Monday (23 June). In this session, UN representatives and member states emphasized the consequences of the Taliban’s continued repressive policies, especially toward women, and the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, stated that continued restrictions against women and girls are one of the main obstacles to Afghanistan’s reintegration into the international system. She added, “This path cannot be achieved without real improvement in the human rights situation, especially women’s rights.” She also referred to upcoming meetings in Doha aimed at clarifying the details of the “Mosaic” plan, saying the goal of the process is to find a way for Afghanistan’s gradual integration into the global community. Joyce Msuya, UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, also said in the session that the Afghan people are facing persistent and severe humanitarian needs. Referring to structural poverty, widespread restrictions against women, and a sharp decline in funding, she warned, “One in five Afghans faces hunger, and three suffer from severe malnutrition.” She also said that around 3.7 million children are out of school, including 2.2 million girls over the age of 11 who are not allowed to attend school. According to Msuya, Afghan female aid workers, despite threats, continue to work on the front lines of humanitarian service. Dorothy Shea, the United States representative to the United Nations, referred to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and stated that Washington’s policy toward the country is under review. She emphasized, “The United States’ primary focus in Afghanistan now is protecting the lives of American citizens, reducing terrorist threats, and ensuring the freedom of all detained Americans.” She warned that Afghanistan must not once again become a safe haven for terrorist groups or a tool for hostage-taking. The meeting also stressed that Taliban policies, particularly the ban on women’s education and employment, are not only violations of human rights but also severely hinder aid delivery efforts. This comes as the UN Secretary-General, in his recent quarterly report, stressed that the Taliban continue their misogynistic policies and there are no signs of any change in the group’s approach.

Photo: Reuters Following the conflict between Iran and Israel, statistics released by human rights sources and official Iranian institutions show that thousands of people, including dozens of women and children, have been killed or injured in Iran. The Washington-based group "Human Rights Activists" has announced that at least 950 people were killed and more than 3,400 others were injured in these attacks. According to this organization, the figures cover the entire territory of Iran, and among the dead, 380 were civilians and 253 were military personnel. This comes as Iran's Ministry of Health announced on Saturday (21 June) that around 400 Iranians had been killed and more than 3,000 injured. Meanwhile, today Monday, Hossein Kermanpour, an official in Iran’s health sector, wrote on the social platform X that 44 women have died in these attacks and 163 other women have been injured. He added that among the deceased were two pregnant mothers who died along with their unborn children. According to Kermanpour, 13 children also lost their lives in these attacks. The youngest victim was two months old, and the youngest known injured child is a four-year-old who has been hospitalized in intensive care with 50 percent burns. He also confirmed that the child’s mother, father, and two-month-old sibling were all killed in the attacks. However, it is worth noting that Iran has yet to provide consistent statistics on the casualties from these clashes. The recent military conflict between Iran and Israel has prompted widespread international reactions and raised concerns about increasing civilian casualties and the potential escalation of the crisis across the region.

Photo: Reuters The World Health Organization reported in its May 2025 report that at least 310 people died in Afghanistan due to infectious diseases. According to the report, infectious diseases such as acute respiratory infection, measles, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and acute diarrhea were the main causes of these deaths. Acute respiratory infection, with over 92,000 reported cases and 195 deaths, accounted for the highest number of fatalities, although it showed a slight decrease compared to April figures. The report also states that 14,660 suspected cases of measles and 93 related deaths were recorded, which is a decrease compared to April (18,703 cases and 111 deaths). In contrast, cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever increased from 109 to 200, and the number of fatalities rose from 6 to 16. According to the report, 6 deaths due to acute diarrhea accompanied by dehydration were also recorded, in addition to 5,186 cases of malaria, 586 cases of COVID-19, and 216 cases of dengue fever. This crisis has worsened as Afghanistan’s healthcare system is facing severe challenges due to the suspension of international aid, particularly from the United States. The World Health Organization has warned that if the current trend continues, more than 10 percent of Afghanistan’s population may lack access to healthcare services by the end of the year. The closure of over 400 health centers due to budget shortages and widespread restrictions on women’s participation in healthcare have made the situation especially critical in remote areas. The Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment not only represent a clear violation of human rights, but have directly weakened the country’s healthcare capacity and endangered the lives of thousands of women and children. The United Nations has repeatedly warned that excluding women from the health system poses a serious barrier to aid delivery and patient care. The World Health Organization has urged the Taliban to ease restrictions and has called on the international community for urgent assistance to prevent the complete collapse of the healthcare system in Afghanistan. It is worth noting that despite repeated calls from international organizations to lift anti-women restrictions, the Taliban continue to insist on policies they describe as “implementation of Sharia”; policies for which millions of people, especially women and children, are paying the price with their lives.

Photo: Reuters In the U.S. military operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities, a female pilot flew one of the advanced B-2 bombers; an event that has received wide coverage in Persian-language media and once again highlighted the stark contrast between opportunities for women and their severe deprivation under misogynistic regimes. According to American media, this female pilot took control of one of nine stealth B-2 bombers during the operation known as “Midnight Hammer.” These bombers participated in attacks on nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The complex operation lasted 37 hours and targeted Iran’s underground facilities with the launch of 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. The name of the female pilot has not yet been disclosed, but her participation in the operation is significant not only militarily, but also politically and culturally, especially for women in countries like Iran and Afghanistan, where under religious and misogynistic governments, they are deprived of even their most basic rights. While women in Iran are not only denied professional opportunities, particularly in military and technical fields, but also face discrimination, repression, and sometimes deadly violence due to their choice of clothing; and in Afghanistan, women are completely deprived of education, work, travel, and participation in public life, the image of a female pilot in a top-secret mission becomes a symbol of the capability, determination, and freedom of women in equal and open systems. These bombers, supported by more than 125 warplanes and Tomahawk missiles launched from submarines, targeted Iran’s underground facilities. Persian-language media, including those based abroad, have interpreted this event not only from a military perspective but as a symbol of the stark contrast between two views of women: women as a driving and pioneering force in open societies, and women as forbidden, confined, and silenced in repressive systems.

Illustration: Maryam Naiby / Zan TV The Taliban’s Secret Love Affairs with Girls in Afghanistan "I have three wives, but none of them compare to your blue eyes. Whether with your consent or by force, I will make you my wife…" "Hey my chubby, where are you? With just one petition you drove us crazy. Your love has killed us…" "I hope you face trouble every day just so you come to the agriculture office, because seeing you soothes the fire in my heart…" These messages are from Taliban members who try to exploit girls visiting the offices of their government by using romantic words. This time, Zan News has interviewed girls who have been targeted by the Taliban's romantic messages and cruel threats. Arefa, Zhila, and Siweta, who live in three different provinces of Afghanistan, share similar accounts of romantic messages and the Taliban’s nightly flirtations. These girls told Zan News that they had approached various Taliban offices to resolve their problems and claim their rights, but the Taliban, under the pretext of processing their cases, took their phone numbers and began sending them romantic messages in the middle of the night, and in many cases, threatened them with death. Arefa, a girl who was forcibly married to her cousin by her family six years ago, says she went to the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue to end her marriage and escape the sorrow and suffering of her life. However, she has now forgotten the pain of her husband’s abuse and is entangled in the romantic messages and threats from an officer of that office. "I was not willing for my family to give me to my cousin, but they forced me. He is an addict, I couldn’t live with him. The Taliban always say they prevent forced marriages. That’s why I went, to get a divorce, but the officer from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue told me to give him my number and said he would solve my problem. That night he messaged me and said he was in love with me." Arefa, whose face shows a mix of exhaustion and anger, says with a trembling voice full of fury that the Taliban officer from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue not only harasses her with messages after 11 p.m., but also threatens to kill her. "On the first night, he wrote to me in a message: ‘I have three wives, but none of them compare to your blue eyes. Whether you agree or not, I will make you my wife.’ It has been about eight days since that message. Every night he writes, saying he is in love with me. He says if I don’t marry him, he will kill me with his own hands." She says she is now not only worried about her difficult married life with her cousin, but also lives every day and night in fear and anxiety. Zhila, another girl deprived of education, says she came under the attention of a Taliban education employee in Badghis after visiting the office to collect her school grades for the past three years. "An organization was hiring staff, so I went to the Education Department to get my school grades for the past three years verified. The employee there, who was a Talib, told me to give him my number. He said, ‘I’ll take care of everything for you and will call you to come follow up. This place is not suitable for someone like you, a beautiful girl who draws too much attention among people.’ So, I gave him my phone number, something I now regret deeply." Zhila adds that this Taliban education employee first asked her very personal questions and then began sending her romantic messages. "Hey my chubby, where are you? With just one petition, you’ve driven me mad. Your love has killed me." He sent me this message last night. At first, he asked me if I was a virgin or not. I said, "Mullah Sahib, why are you asking such questions?" He told me, "If you don’t answer, I’ll tear up your paper." I was forced to tell the truth. Now he sends me messages every night saying he has fallen in love with me. Zhila is worried that one day this Talib might forcefully take her to a marriage ceremony. "Right now, I’m really afraid that he might force me into marriage. The Taliban are very bad people, they marry girls by force. I hate seeing this old man, let alone imagining a life as husband and wife with him." Meanwhile, Siweta, a resident of Kabul province, says she went to the provincial Agriculture Department to conduct a voice interview for a local radio station. However, one of the employees of the department, under the pretext of sharing news information, took her phone number. She opened her received WhatsApp messages and read one of them aloud: "I hope you face trouble every day just so you come to the Agriculture office, because seeing you soothes the fire in my heart. Look at this message, it’s from just three hours ago. He messages me day and night." "My biggest mistake was giving him my phone number. Now I’m really worried because he knows I’m single. If he forces me into marriage, my life will be destroyed and ruined." These girls are examples of victims who are first targeted by the Taliban through romantic messages and then, after being forced into marriage, subjected to oppression and abuse. The girls speak of the Taliban’s romantic messages at a time when the spokesperson of the group’s Ministry of Defense had previously made a marriage proposal by saying: "I am a modern Talib - marry me."

Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Photo The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to hold its quarterly meeting on the situation in Afghanistan tomorrow, Monday (23 June). The meeting will focus on human rights, the humanitarian crisis, increasing restrictions on women, and security and economic challenges. This meeting will be held publicly, and representatives of the Security Council member states, along with several regional countries, will discuss Afghanistan’s political, economic, and social challenges. Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Joyce Msuya, the UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, are among the main speakers of this session. One of the key topics of the meeting is the review of the Taliban’s restrictive policies and their impact on the lives and rights of Afghan women and girls. Over the past three years, these policies have deprived women of the right to education, work, travel, free choice of clothing, and social participation, forcing millions of women into isolation. The severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which has left more than half of the country’s population in urgent need of aid, is another topic of discussion. Joyce Msuya is expected to present a report on the current state of humanitarian assistance and call for increased international financial support. The meeting will also address the security concerns of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan and Russia, regarding the rise in activities of the Khorasan branch of ISIS. The Security Council will also discuss the Taliban’s “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law and its repressive effects on the daily lives of the people, especially women. Many human rights organizations consider this law a tool of systematic oppression against women. Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban, reacted to the meeting by saying that holding a Security Council session on Afghanistan without the presence of a Taliban representative will be ineffective. He emphasized, “Meetings held without Afghanistan’s presence have yielded no results in the past and will not do so in the future.” Mujahid also called the presence of a Taliban representative in international meetings “vital” and warned that failure to present accurate information about the country’s situation could prevent the adoption of useful and effective decisions.