Zan News: Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women and Girls, has called on the international community to provide strong support for the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and adopt a comprehensive approach to increase accountability for human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Source: Google Images Rina Amiri Calls for Strong International Support for the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan October 12, 2024 Zan News Zan News: Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women and Girls, has called on the international community to provide strong support for the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and adopt a comprehensive approach to increase accountability for human rights abuses in Afghanistan. In a message posted on X last night (October 11), Amiri welcomed the recent UN Human Rights Council resolution on Afghanistan. She also thanked Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, for his continued efforts to support the rights of all Afghans, especially women, girls, and other vulnerable communities. Amiri said that Bennett's report for the 58th session of the Human Rights Council is an important step in detailing the devastating impact of Taliban laws, particularly the law on the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice, which aims to eliminate the autonomy of Afghan women and girls and destroy the small space they have tried to create for themselves. She emphasized, "The international community must remain steadfast in its strong support for the Special Rapporteur and a comprehensive approach to increase accountability. This is a normative and strategic and key matter for a stable, economic and secure Afghanistan." Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council, by adopting a resolution without a vote, has extended the mandate of Richard Bennett as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan for another year. The Council has requested Bennett to prepare a report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan for the 58th session of the Human Rights Council. The Council has also mandated Bennett, with the support of other UN special missions, to prepare a report on access to justice and protection of Afghan women and girls and the impact of multiple discrimination on them for the 59th session of the Human Rights Council, with a view to strengthening an enhanced interactive dialogue on this issue. The UN Human Rights Council has condemned the Taliban's ban on Bennett's entry into Afghanistan and called on the group to lift this decision and cooperate with the UN human rights mechanisms. In late August of this year, the Taliban banned Richard Bennett's entry into Afghanistan and accused him of propagating against the group. Bennett called this Taliban decision "a step backward" and stressed that he would continue to document human rights abuses in Afghanistan. In the resolution adopted on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, the UN Human Rights Council has also called for the repeal of the Taliban's law on the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice. The Council said that this law institutionalizes discrimination against women and called on the Taliban to repeal policies that prevent Afghan citizens from enjoying their human rights.

Zan News: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the Taliban to revoke their recent decree banning the hiring of women in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Photo: Anadolu Agency UN Human Rights Commission: Taliban Must Revoke Ban on Hiring Women in NGOs January 2, 2025 Zan News Zan News: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the Taliban to revoke their recent decree banning the hiring of women in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Commission, expressed deep concern on Tuesday (December 31), describing the Taliban's decision as a "misguided path" and emphasizing its serious consequences. She stated, "NGOs play a vital role in providing immediate, life-saving aid to the people of Afghanistan, especially men, women, girls, and orphans. This decision will have a direct and negative impact on the ability of people to receive humanitarian assistance." Shamdasani also urged the Taliban to revoke this discriminatory decree and other similar restrictions, including the ban on girls' education, limitations on women's work, and their access to public services. She added, "A country that excludes half of its population from public life cannot make progress politically, economically, or socially." This comes as the Taliban's Ministry of Economy recently, for the second time in two years, ordered NGOs to refrain from hiring women.

Zan News - Kabul: The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that the European Union has allocated 10 million euros to the organization to strengthen the food security of Afghan students. European Union Allocates €10 Million to Strengthen Food Security for Afghan Students May 30, 2024 Zan News Zan News - Kabul: The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that the European Union has allocated 10 million euros to the organization to strengthen the food security of Afghan students. According to the WFP statement, this assistance will cover students in more than 10,000 schools in the provinces of Farah, Ghor, Jawzjan, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktika, Uruzgan, and Zabul. The organization added that with this funding, fortified biscuits or locally produced nutritious food items will be distributed among students in 10,000 schools. In addition, female students in grades 4 to 6 will also receive assistance such as vegetable oil and cash. "We started the school feeding program more than two decades ago to link food security and better nutrition to education," said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan. She added that WFP supported 1.5 million children in schools last year and the European Union has been a key partner in delivering this assistance. It is worth noting that the European Union has also previously provided assistance to improve the learning environments of schools in Afghanistan. This EU aid comes as the Taliban, after coming to power, have prevented girls from continuing their education above grade 6, depriving millions of female students of their right to education.

Following the Taliban's successive bans on work, education, and schooling for girls and women, the Taliban's Directorate of Education in Herat province, on Tuesday (December 24), hammered the final nail in the door of girls' education by closing the gates of private educational centers to girls. Photo: AFP/Wakil Kohsar The Taliban Hammered the Final Nail in Their Ban on Girls' Education and Schooling December 26, 2024 Ariahn Raya Following the Taliban's successive bans on work, education, and schooling for girls and women, the Taliban's Directorate of Education in Herat province, on Tuesday (December 24), hammered the final nail in the door of girls' education by closing the gates of private educational centers to girls. Citing the decree of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, regarding the prohibition of education for girls above the sixth grade, this directorate has instructed the relevant authorities to prevent girls from attending educational centers in Herat province. Meanwhile, girls deprived of education in Herat province say that with this ban, the Taliban have extinguished the last ray of hope in their hearts, but they have once again lit the fire of staying at home for them. Hewa, a 22-year-old girl whose face reflects sorrow and grief, speaks with a choked voice full of emotion to Zan TV, saying: "I studied until the third semester at the Faculty of Psychology at Herat University, but after the ban on girls attending university, I sought refuge in an educational center to escape the psychological challenges and confinement at home, to learn English and stay away from this situation. But today, they have closed this door to us as well." As Hewa warms her frozen hands with her breath, she continues with a trembling voice and teary eyes, saying: "There is a saying that goes, the final nail was hammered into the coffin of something. Today, the Taliban hammered the final nail into the door of education and schooling. Truly, there is no other way left for us because we are girls." Shima Karimi, another girl deprived of education and a third-year student at the Faculty of Public Administration and Policy at Herat University, turned to learning computer skills after the ban on education for girls. However, she says that by closing the doors of educational centers to girls, the Taliban have extinguished the last ray of light in their hearts. "I was confined to my home for a while, burning in the furnace of confinement. With the mental health issues still in place, I came to this center with the help of my family and friends to improve my computer skills. But now this has also been forbidden for us. Perhaps the Taliban will say in a few days that breathing is forbidden for girls. This was our last hope, and now even this light has turned to darkness." Shafiqa Shojai, another girl who is learning a language at one of Herat's educational centers, complains about the strict rules of the Taliban. She says that although the Taliban had previously forced them to wear black hijabs, they have now deprived them of the right to attend private educational centers." She says: "Believe me, it was very hard for me to accept wearing a full-body veil, but in order to increase my capacity and awareness, I accepted it. Right now, I don't know what the authorities of the Emirate want to do with us. I don't know what our sin is. I don't know which door to go to next." Nevertheless, some teachers at educational centers in Herat have described the new Taliban decree as concerning, saying that with the implementation of this decree, they have lost more than 90 percent of their students. Mahdia Mursal, a language teacher at one of the educational centers in Herat province, says: "Imagine, more than ninety percent of our students were girls above the sixth grade, but currently, not even ten percent remain in the classrooms. How can we pay for rent, electricity, and other expenses of our center? This action of the government is truly painful and concerning. Where has the world come, and which direction are we heading in?" According to these teachers, if the Taliban do not end the ban on girls' education at private educational centers, they will be forced to close the educational doors and leave their jobs. The Taliban have announced the ban on girls attending private educational centers in Herat province, while previously, on December 4 of this year, they had also declared the ban on girls' education in medical institutes.

Zan News: Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Foreign Minister, during a consultative session on Afghanistan’s commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, emphasized the efforts to prosecute the Taliban at the International Court of Justice for violating the convention. She stated, “We will send the message to the Taliban that their actions will not go unpunished.” Photo: tagesschau.de German Foreign Minister: The Taliban are Creating a Social Dungeon for Half of Afghanistan’s Population March 5, 2025 Zan News Zan News: Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Foreign Minister, during a consultative session on Afghanistan’s commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, emphasized the efforts to prosecute the Taliban at the International Court of Justice for violating the convention. She stated, “We will send the message to the Taliban that their actions will not go unpunished.” The session was held on Tuesday, March 4, in Berlin, with the participation of Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, and several Afghan civil society and women’s rights activists. Baerbock, addressing the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, said, “The Taliban are truly building a social dungeon for 50 percent of the population of Afghanistan, simply because they are women.” She added, “These actions may be defined as social disappearance, crimes against humanity, or gender-based persecution. I know many of you refer to it as gender apartheid, but no single term can fully describe these crimes.” The German Foreign Minister told to Afghan women, “We will not forget you. This session is about you. We hear your voice, and we stand with you.” Meanwhile, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands warned the Taliban in October of this year that if gender-based discrimination in Afghanistan does not stop, the group will be sued at the International Court of Justice for violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Following this warning, 25 other countries also expressed their support for this action, and efforts are now underway to begin this legal process.

Zan News: Eleanor Sanders, the British Human Rights Ambassador to the United Nations, at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, sharply condemned the ongoing repression of Afghan women and girls by the Taliban. google image British Human Rights Ambassador: Taliban Must Lift Inhuman Restrictions on Women March 2, 2025 Zan News Zan News: Eleanor Sanders, the British Human Rights Ambassador to the United Nations, at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, sharply condemned the ongoing repression of Afghan women and girls by the Taliban. She described the bans on education and employment imposed on women and girls as a 'blatant violation of human rights' and called on the international community to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to lift these 'inhuman' restrictions. Ms. Sanders labeled the prohibition on women's access to medical education—including nursing, midwifery, and dentistry—as 'horrific.' She emphasized, 'A bright future for all Afghans requires the observance of the rights of women and girls,' and urged Taliban leaders to immediately revoke these restrictions. The British Human Rights Ambassador also stressed the need for continued international support for the people of Afghanistan, noting that Britain is committed to supporting the vulnerable in Afghanistan with £171 million in humanitarian aid. She called on the global community to keep the pressure on the Taliban to abandon their repressive policies and to ensure the rights of all Afghan citizens. This comes as, since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, depriving them of access to education, employment, and participation in society.

Zan News: Local sources in Panjshir province report that a girls' school named "Bibi Amina" in the "Parande" area of the provincial center has been set on fire. A Girls' School in Panjshir Set on Fire September 30, 2024 Zan News Zan News: Local sources in Panjshir province report that a girls' school named "Bibi Amina" in the "Parande" area of the provincial center has been set on fire. According to sources, this incident occurred last night, Sunday (September 29). Meanwhile, the Taliban security command in Panjshir, while confirming the news, says the fire broke out around 9:30 pm and was extinguished by firefighters after a while. Abdallah Uqab Farooqi, a spokesman for the command, did not mention the cause or damages of the fire but reported the arrest of three people in connection with it, adding that these individuals have confessed to their crime. Farooqi did not provide any information about the identity and motives of the arrested individuals, but sources say that two local Taliban members have been arrested for this arson. In their statements, they said they intended to burn a beehive but accidentally set the school on fire. It is worth noting that this is the third fire in schools in Panjshir over the past two years. Previously, the "Lise Kojan" girls' school in the Pryan district and the "Dasht Riut" school in the Hassa-e Awal district had also caught fire.

Zan News: The Window of Hope Women's Movement has issued a statement expressing condolences on the third anniversary of the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan, describing this day as the "darkest day in the country's history." Image by: Agence VU Window of Hope Women's Movement Describes August 15th as the Darkest Day in the Country's History August 4, 2024 Zan News Zan News: The Window of Hope Women's Movement has issued a statement expressing condolences on the third anniversary of the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan, describing this day as the "darkest day in the country's history." In the statement released on the occasion of August 15th, it reads: "August 15th is a reminder of the historical day when, as a result of the disgraceful Doha agreement, a country with a democratic system was practically handed over to an international terrorist group." The movement has called this day a "black day" and emphasized that with each anniversary of this event, the scope of "systematic elimination of women, crimes against humanity, genocide, murder of innocent people from all walks of life, poverty, insecurity, and the breeding of terrorism" expands daily. The statement further states: "Three years ago today, the provinces of Afghanistan were surrendered one after another to the Taliban, and the people of Afghanistan, especially women, watched the destruction of their long-held dreams with eyes full of hatred and hearts filled with sorrow." According to the statement, the tragedy of surrendering the country is clearly seen in the eyes of girls who were deprived of education and forced into early marriages, and the suicides of girls who were denied education highlight the depth of this disaster in daily news headlines. The statement also mentions that mothers who are unable to provide even a piece of bread for their malnourished children due to poverty and unemployment are narrators of a deep crisis in the country. The movement referred to ongoing struggles to save Afghanistan and stated that "our path is one of seeking rights, justice, and freedom with the hope of ending the Taliban's rule and establishing an inclusive and democratic government, and the supremacy of human rights." In conclusion, the Window of Hope Women's Movement expressed support for all fighters and comrades and emphasized the continuation of the struggle for the "freedom of Afghanistan."

Zan News: In a protest rally held in Berlin, Germany, and in an open letter that was released, a number of women protesters, independent activists, and civil society organizations called on the German government to reconsider its decision to hand over Afghan diplomatic missions to the Taliban. Sent to Zan News Open Letter to the German Government: Protesting the Decision to Hand Over Afghan Diplomatic Missions to the Taliban September 12, 2024 Zan News Zan News: In a protest rally held in Berlin, Germany, and in an open letter that was released, a number of women protesters, independent activists, and civil society organizations called on the German government to reconsider its decision to hand over Afghan diplomatic missions to the Taliban. Referencing the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the open letter stated: "Afghanistan is now far more dangerous than before September 11, 2001, because in addition to al-Qaeda, more than ten other terrorist groups, with the support of the Taliban, are organizing terrorist attacks in the region and the world." The authors of the letter considered the recent decision of the German Foreign Ministry to hand over Afghan diplomatic missions to the Taliban to be contrary to diplomatic law, human rights, and international principles, and declared that they would oppose this blatant deal with international "terrorism." They say this action particularly "shocking" coming from a government that claims to promote freedom and justice in the world. The group emphasized that the recent decision amounts to ignoring gender apartheid, war crimes, and the spread of regional and international terrorism. They called on the German government to immediately abandon this decision, as this action would strengthen "terrorism" in Afghanistan and the world, especially in Germany. The letter also stated: "The Taliban are an ideological and terrorist group that should be recognized as a terrorist group by the German government and its members should be banned from traveling to Germany." The authors of the letter emphasized Germany's moral and political responsibility and called for the recognition of the ongoing gender apartheid in Afghanistan and cooperation with international courts to combat this crime against humanity. In conclusion, the protesters stressed that their protests would continue until the German government changed its decision and that they would inform the German people that this decision not only violates human rights but also facilitates the entry of "terrorism" into Europe.

Zan News: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reported that over 79 million women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced sexual abuse or assault during childhood. Photo: GETTY IMAGES UNICEF: Over 79 Million Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa Have Experienced Sexual Violence October 10, 2024 Zan News Zan News: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reported that over 79 million women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced sexual abuse or assault during childhood. In a statement released on Thursday (October 10), the agency described the region as "the worst place in the world for girls." According to UNICEF's findings, one in five girls in Sub-Saharan Africa has faced sexual violence before the age of 18. Globally, sexual violence has affected 370 million women and girls. Claudia Cappa, UNICEF's chief of statistics, stated that these figures were obtained using data collected between 2010 and 2022 and that the actual numbers may be higher. She added that due to the lack of complete data collection, cases of sexual abuse and assault are underreported. Catherine Russell, the executive director of UNICEF, described this violence as "a stain on the human conscience," while Nanjala Maxood, a regional expert on violence against children, called the statistics "horrifying" and emphasized that sexual violence hinders girls' development.