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Photo: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters "I took pills to die so I could be permanently free from the Taliban, but I survived misfortune..." "Even death didn't accompaniment me, let alone life..." "Where should I go, so that my name and trace of being a girl will not remain? Believe me, I am tired of this oppression of the Taliban..." "I just wanted to become a midwife, but my education was once again died..." These are direct quotes from girls who say they attempted suicide due to the ban on education in medical institutes by the Taliban. When the Taliban, through an official letter, issued the order to close the doors of private and public universities to girls on December 20, 2022, Shaqayeq, 23 years old, was studying in the sixth semester of the Journalism Faculty at Herat University. However, with this ban, she was not only confined to her home but also faced depression and emotional problems. Until her family once again planted the seed of hope in Shaqayeq’s heart and enrolled her in a midwifery program at one of Herat's medical institutes. But now, the dust of lost hope is reflected on Shaqayeq's face, and she says with a voice full of tears: "My only wish was to serve the people. I wanted to become a journalist, but the Taliban didn’t allow it. My family wanted me to become a doctor, and again, they took that opportunity away from me." Becoming a midwife was the only remaining path for Shaqayeq and her family to continue her education, but this dream of hers not only failed but, according to her, her dreams were killed for the second time in the fetal period. When the Taliban issued the order to ban girls from studying in medical institutes in December 2024, Shaqayeq's second semester had not yet finished. Shaqayeq says that upon hearing the news of the education ban, the emotional pressure forced her to attempt suicide, but with her mother's help, she was saved from the grip of death. With heartbreak and restlessness, she says: "When I wanted to go to my class, as I reached the door, a Taliban pointed his gun at us and said we were not allowed to go to the university, our studies were blocked. I cried and came home. Inside the house, I found four packs of pills. I took the pills to die so I could be permanently free from the Taliban, but unfortunately, I survived. When I took the pills, my mother noticed and quickly took me to the general hospital in Herat." Mursal is another one of the girls who, after the Taliban's order banning universities, changed her field of study and enrolled in one of Herat's medical institutes. However, with the closure of medical institutes' doors to girls, she has been confined to her home for the second time and deprived of the opportunity to continue her education. Mursal, who was studying in the final semester of pharmacy, says: "The Taliban is the enemy of girls. When I came home, I was very hopeless. I took poison to die, I was unconscious. My family took me to the hospital. What can I say? Even death didn’t accompaniment me, let alone life, which could accompaniment me. I am tired of life." Najia, the sister of this girl who was deprived of education, says that after the closure of education for Mursal, she was emotionally hurt for the second time and chose to remain in seclusion. Broken Hearts and Shattered Dreams After the Taliban took power in Afghanistan for the second time, they first announced the ban on education for girls above the sixth grade in schools. One year after this ban, they closed the doors of universities to girls, and finally, on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, they also announced the ban on the last remaining way for girls to continue their education. But the girls deprived of education say that with the strict bans of the Taliban, all their dreams have shattered, and they have no hope of continuing their education and life in Afghanistan. Khatira, who was studying in the final semester of the midwifery program at one of the medical institutes in Herat, says that if the Taliban had not prevented her education, she would have graduated in a few months. Khatira, who had come to terms with all the Taliban's restrictions, from changing her field of study to mandatory dress code, says with tearful eyes: "You tell me, where should I go, so that my name and trace of being a girl will not remain? Believe me, I am tired of this oppression of the Taliban. The Taliban do not give up their hostility towards women and girls. I wanted to become a midwife, but they didn’t allow it. Does a Taliban take his own wife to a male doctor? " Khatira, who is drowning in waves of hopelessness, pleads with the Taliban to reopen the doors of medical institutes to girls. Habiba, another student from the medical institutes in Herat province, says she had dreamed of going to the most remote parts of the province to treat the pain of women in areas deprived of health services, but now she herself is in need of healing. Habiba, who has been overwhelmed with worry and distress, says: "I just wanted to become a midwife, but my education was once again died. My goal was to go to the most remote area of Herat and help women, but the Taliban didn’t allow me to finish my studies." Death Lurking for Mothers and Newborns, Following the Taliban's Decision With the ban on education for girls in medical institutes, a large number of international organizations have deemed this Taliban decision a violation of human rights laws and have stated that with the absence of female doctors in Afghanistan, the maternal and neonatal mortality rates will significantly increase in the near future. The European Union has described the Taliban's decision as a 'horrific violation of fundamental human rights and an unjustifiable attack on women's right to education. The Union has called the consequences of the Taliban's decision to ban education for girls in medical institutes a 'deepening of the humanitarian crisis' in Afghanistan and has called on the Taliban to reopen the doors of education and learning for girls. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, has also expressed concern over this Taliban decision, stating that the ban on education for girls in health institutes will have a devastating impact on Afghanistan's health system. These concerns are raised while, according to information provided by the United Nations Population Fund, for every 100,000 births in Afghanistan, 638 result in the death of mothers and newborns due to the lack of facilities and doctors. This represents the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rate in Asia. It is worth mentioning that the Taliban have not only banned girls from studying in medical institutes, but they also do not allow women and girls who have studied in medical fields to participate in the "Exit" exam.

Image: BBC A Narrative of Women's Painful Childbirth Under the Shadow of the Taliban “The clinic has been closed for three months. Noor Bibi, my daughter-in-law, became ill at midnight. She lost so much blood that she collapsed from weakness, and her baby suffocated. Before reaching the city by morning, my beloved daughter-in-law passed away in my arms.” Shirin Gul, the mother-in-law of 24-year-old Noor Bibi, narrates the crisis stemming from the lack of doctors and healthcare facilities in Gharmoshak village, Zindajan district of Herat province. Speaking with a deep sigh and a voice choked by sorrow, she says that this was Noor Bibi’s third child who not only suffocated before being born but also cost Noor Bibi her life due to severe bleeding and unbearable pain. “God did not take just one from me; He took both the innocent child and the mother. If only there had been a midwife.” Although Shirin Gul doesn't know why their local health center was closed, she says that even the mobile units of the health center have been taken away by the government for the past three months, leaving them without access to doctors or medication. According to Shirin Gul, to reach the nearest health center, they would have had to travel several kilometers. However, at the time of Noor Bibi’s childbirth, arranging transportation and paying for a vehicle was prohibitively expensive for this impoverished family. She explains that at two o’clock in the morning when Noor Bibi went into labor, the entire family sought help from Ghuncha Gul, the oldest woman (midwife) in their neighborhood, hoping she could oversee Noor Bibi's delivery. But contrary to expectations, Noor Bibi’s eyes closed due to severe pain and bleeding, and her newborn also lost its life due to suffocation. Shirin Gul, recounting the intensity of her daughter-in-law’s pain and bleeding in a distressed tone, says she made every effort to save both her grandchild and daughter-in-law, but could not manage to get Noor Bibi to a health center in time. “At first, I didn’t think it would turn out like this. My daughter-in-law’s condition worsened terribly, the bleeding increased, and there was no doctor. We didn’t even have a single medicine at home for pain relief or bleeding. I ran from house to house shouting, trying to find a car. Everyone said it was midnight and impossible to go to Herat city, at least 3,000 Afghanis were needed for the fare. I didn’t even have a hundred Afghanis at home. My grandchild died before my eyes, and my daughter-in-law died in my arms.” Shirin Gul says Noor Bibi’s delivery was extremely difficult. But due to the lack of transportation to take her to Herat’s central hospital, they were forced to endure her cries and agonizing moans from labor pain and bleeding until morning. “At dawn, when the mullah gave the call to prayer, the city-bound transport vehicles finally started moving. But by then, my daughter-in-law had stopped breathing, there was no sound from her. We put her in a wheelbarrow and took her to the end of the alley near the vehicle. With each moment, her body weakened. When I looked again, she was no longer breathing. She died in my arms.” According to Bibi Gul, Noor Bibi left behind two children named Esra and Rita. However, poverty and hardship have not spared two-year-old Rita either. Rita’s pale skin, thin face, and frail body reflect the signs of malnutrition. With concern, Bibi Gul says that due to the closure of the health center, children in the village no longer have access to nutritional supplements, and the number of malnourished children among neighboring families has reached over 25. “Look how skinny she’s become. The doctors said she’s suffering from malnutrition. She used to be fine. I would take her to the clinic and they would give us a food package. Now even that’s gone. I’m afraid this grandchild of mine might die from this illness. Many children are like this. Maybe more than 25 children just in our surrounding neighborhood are in the same condition.” Death of Infants During Childbirth Shaista, a 27-year-old resident of Zindajan district in Herat, told Zan TV that after the shutdown of health centers in the district, she lost her baby during childbirth two months ago and has since suffered from various health issues caused by bleeding and labor pain. “There’s no midwife. It's been over three months since left. People say the aid has been cut off and doctors left because they weren’t being paid. When I was nearing delivery, I fell ill at night. My husband went to bring my mother. When she arrived, I was barely conscious. My condition had worsened.” She adds that due to the lack of access to a doctor and medicine, her baby died during childbirth. Shaista, her voice trembling with tears, says that if her baby had survived, she would have been the first daughter in the family. She says she now has three sons, and although the life of girls in today’s Afghan society is dark and uncertain, having a daughter was a cherished dream for her and her family, one that was never fulfilled. “Children, whether boys or girls, are blessings from God, but the father of my sons and I really wanted a daughter. Because there was no doctor, the baby died. Two months ago, I experienced heavy bleeding and haven’t recovered since. I fall ill every day. And we don’t have doctors or medicine.” Replacing Doctors and Medicine with Amulets and Prayers by Mullahs Meanwhile, a number of pregnant women in Gharmoshak village, Zindajan district of Herat province, say that after the closure of their village health center, they have turned to mullahs for healing prayers and charms. Shabnam, one of the elderly women of the village and the daughter of a mullah herself, says that over the past three months, the number of women coming to her father for prayer sessions has increased. She considers one of the main reasons for this surge in women seeking prayers and amulets from her father to be the absence of a health center and the growing illnesses among the women in the village. “I myself went to my father to ask for a prayer. These days, many women and girls are coming to my father. The prayer comes from my father, but healing is from God. Earlier, when our clinic was open, people used to go there and get medicine. Now, just to find some comfort, they come to my father.” Shabnam says that medicine and prayer each have their own place, but it is necessary to provide healthcare services to the women and children deprived of medical facilities in this area. “It’s true that prayers have an effect, but there must also be doctors and medicine available to the people. If someone falls ill at midnight, there’s not even a single person who can give an injection.” According to the residents of Herat province, the shortage of healthcare personnel is evident across all districts and nearby villages because after the suspension of American health organizations’ activities, many health centers have ceased operations, not only in Herat but across other provinces as well. According to a report by the World Health Organization, after the suspension of activities and support from American health organizations in Afghanistan, more than 202 health centers across the country have been closed, and by the end of this month, this number may reach 220.

Photo: AP December 3rd is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, but many women and girls with disabilities in Afghanistan complain about the additional challenges and hardships they face, saying they are living in difficult conditions. These women, complaining about the non-payment of their three years' worth of salaries and benefits by the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled under Taliban control, say that after losing their salaries, they have forgotten the pain of losing their limbs but carry the burden of hunger, poverty, and economic hardships on their weary shoulders. Kobra, a 19-year-old war victim sitting in a corner of Kabul on an old wheelchair, says that after her disability allowance and benefits were cut off by the Taliban government, she has been forced to extend her hand in begging from dawn to dusk to feed herself and her family. She says she is originally from Qala-e-Zal district in Kunduz province, but the fire of poverty forced her family to seek refuge in Kabul. "About nine years ago, when I returned home from school, there was a sudden terrifying noise. After that, I didn’t understand anything. I fell to the ground. I didn’t even feel any pain, but in front of me, there was a leg lying on the ground. I had become fainted. They took me to Kunduz Central Hospital, and today, this is the condition I am in." Pointing toward her legs with her finger and speaking with a voice choked with emotion, Kobra says, "One of my legs was completely severed, and the other was severely injured. The doctors amputated it. I didn’t see anything myself, but people say the Taliban had targeted a National Army Ranger vehicle with a rocket, and by bad luck, I was also caught in the attack." Kobra is not the only war victim whose economic poverty has led her to the streets of Kabul to beg, but Prima, another victim, lost not only her limbs but also her entire family when a Taliban mortar shell struck their house 14 years ago. She says she is originally from Faryab province and now lives in a rented room in Herat city, but for the past five months, she has been unable to pay her rent. Prima describes her living situation as follows: "It was almost fourteen years ago, on a Saturday, when we were sitting inside our house, and suddenly, our entire house collapsed. I couldn’t see anything; I was buried under the rubble. My father, three brothers, four sisters, and mother were all martyred together. The neighbors dug me out from under the debris, and for a year, my neighbor took care of me." As she begins speaking, the grief of losing her family members and her limbs is renewed for Prima, and with tears and sorrow, she says, "Ten years ago, due to having no guardian, I was forced to marry an elderly man, 68 years old. But now, misfortune has once again come to me." "I had no one, so I was forced to marry a man whose wife had passed away. My husband cannot do anywork. I have a six-year-old daughter who helps me move on my wheelchair, and every day I beg. I had an eight-year-old son who became ill and died. Every day, I beg from people and receive 50 to 100 Afghanis." Khadija is another woman who lost her left leg in a traffic accident and is now forced to beg on the streets of Herat. She says that although her annual disability allowance is small, if it were paid, it would save her from begging. Khadija, who has wrapped herself in a blue burqa to conceal her face, speaks with a sadness and painful voice, saying, "Sometimes I go to bed hungry at night. If I weren’t forced, why would I come out to beg? I was child when we were traveling to Badghis, the car overturned, and my leg was injured. We had economic problems and couldn't afford treatment, and in the end, the doctors had to amputate my leg. It's been a long time since anyone helped, and we didn’t have anything to eat for dinner. I went to bed without bread and woke up in the morning to beg again." She continues her speech with tears and says, "Life is very hard. No one wants to marry someone who is disabled. I don’t have a breadwinner in the house, my father has passed away, and the government has cut our allowance in half. This year, they gave me eleven thousand Afghanis. How am I supposed to live for twelve months with just eleven thousand Afghanis?" It is worth mentioning that the non-payment of allowances and rights to persons with disabilities has not only made life bitter for disabled women, but also many military and civilian disabled individuals have been deprived of their legal rights or have only received half of them since the fall of the republic system and the rise of the Taliban.

Image: AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd "My father sold me to feed his stomach." "The pain of the 100 lashes the Taliban gave me in front of the public is engraved in my brain, mind, and bones." "My father is more cruel than the Taliban. I am sick, I weave carpets to earn money to go to the doctor, but my father says, why should a girl go to the doctor?" These are the quotes of Afghan girls and women who are experiencing their tragic lives under the shadow of the gun and the so-called Islamic regime of the Taliban. November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women; but, in Afghanistan, violence in every sense has rooted deeply in every aspect of women's lives, intertwined with every moment of their existence, to the extent that the phenomenon of violence has become an inseparable part of the lives of women and girls in this country. Setara, a 15-year-old girl from Herat, once dreamed of becoming a pilot, hoping that one day she would soar above Afghanistan in a military aircraft, gazing at the land below. Every morning, she would tuck her books under her arm and head to school. However, now, with a voice filled with sorrow, a throat choked with emotion, and a body trembling from the pain and suffering, she says that with the rise of the Taliban and the ban on girls' education, not only has she not achieved her dream, but she has also experienced childhood motherhood, divorce, widowhood, and the burden of being the breadwinner for her family. She, just as she holds the strands of black wool, like her life, to weave them into a corner of her carpet, narrates her life’s hardships: "The rhythm of life did not dance to our tune. I was in seventh grade when the Taliban declared it forbidden for us to go to school. I, like thousands of other sisters, became a housebound girl. My father said I had to marry my cousin. I refused, but by force, he made me marry. Truly, my father sold me to fill his stomach. Seven months passed since my wedding, and he divorced me." Tears and crying no longer allow Setara peace. As she holds a corner of her scarf with her right hand and wipes away her tears, she says: "The Taliban showed no mercy to me, it was the people. But why did my father, who I was a part of, do this to me? Right now, neither my father provides food and expenses for me and my child, nor do I have anyone else. It has been two and a half years since my divorce and marriage." Setara, who once shone like a star among dozens of other girls and was the top student from first to seventh grade, now carries the sorrow of not having a guardian along with the responsibility of her eight-month-old child. Although Afghanistan has long been a place of violence for girls and women, with the return of the Taliban to power, life for millions of women and girls in Afghanistan has once again turned into a life in hell. Over three years since the Taliban’s gender-apartheid rule and the imposition of restrictions on work, activity, education, and learning for women and girls, the group has adopted its official and systematic policy of misogyny. Ayla Mohammadi, a 16-year-old girl and a resident of Daikundi province, still spends her nights haunted by nightmares of prison and the Taliban's whip, two years after the bitter reality of being publicly flogged. She says that for the crime of going to the Daikundi market with her cousin, she was arrested, imprisoned, and publicly flogged by the Taliban: "My father is in Iran, and I had no one else. I went to the market with my cousin to buy household items, but the Islamic Emirate forces arrested me, accusing me of going out with a non-mahram. They told me he was my boyfriend. We were imprisoned for two months, and every day they beat us with cables and whips." Ayla, with tearful eyes, continues her words and adds: "They would tie my hands with handcuffs. I was in an underground prison. After two months, they took me to a public square in front of all the people and lashed me 100 times for the crime of adultery. The burning sensation from the 100 lashes that the Taliban gave me in front of the public is engraved in my mind, my thoughts, and my bones. I will never forget how they unjustly tarnished my reputation." Aisha, another girl deprived of education and suffering from depression, has sought refuge in a carpet weaving workshop to find the funds for her treatment. However, she says that not only is she facing the injustice imposed on women and girls by the Taliban, but the oppression from her father is no less than that of the Taliban. "Last year, I went to school for the last time. When we finished sixth grade, the Taliban said we couldn’t go to school anymore. I became a housebound girl and fell into depression. I always cry. I’m sick, and for my treatment, I came to weave carpets. But my father takes the two thousand Afghanis I earn in a month. My father is even more cruel than the Taliban. I’m sick, weaving carpets so I can see a doctor, but my father says, ‘Why should a girl go to the doctor?’" While girls and women share bitter and harrowing accounts of the violence they face from the Taliban and domestic abuse, this year, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, various domestic and international organizations, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Amnesty International, the Afghan Center for Legal Studies and Research, and protest movements, once again called for an end to the violence against women and girls in Afghanistan in their statements.

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?

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.