Search Results

Part One Photo: UNICEF/Amin Meerzad Author: Roina Bakhshi It was a rainy day, and Raihan, while gazing out the window at the birds perched on the tree, was thinking about her dreams and wishes. She had no idea whether she would ever achieve them or not. Mother: “Raihan, come, breakfast is ready.” Raihan: “Ok Mom, I’ll come in a few minutes.” Raihan wanted to watch the birds a little longer. Their chirping, their hopping from branch to branch, and their longing to find a mate had enchanted her. Her mother kept calling out, but Raihan playfully ignored the voice. In the end, however, she had to tear herself away from the birds and join the breakfast spread. She ate her breakfast in silence, and her mother could tell from her expression that something was troubling her. After breakfast, still quiet, she began tidying up the house; washing the dishes, wiping the windows, and tidied the house. Her mother said, “Raihan, what’s wrong with you this morning?” Raihan replied, “I don’t know why I feel so down and upset. I have a bad feeling today.” Rahmat, with a backpack full of books and pens, came toward her with mischief and joy, bouncing in her gaze. When he got close, he playfully tapped her knee with a pen and said, “What are you daydreaming about? Come study some math with me. I have a test tomorrow.” Her blank stare broke away from some unknown place, and she looked at her younger brother. In her eyes, he seemed joyful and carefree. “You little rascal, you’ve grown so big from eating so much, but you still can’t solve your questions! Mischief sparkles from your eyes, and all you ever want is to pull me out of my daydreams, huh?” She smiled and helped him with his lessons. After solving a few difficult equations, Raihan went to her room and opened her schoolbooks. She gazed lovingly at her neatly arranged notebooks, the carefully written titles in bold red ink, the rest in blue, the little flowers drawn beside the pages, and the books resting in the blue bookshelf. She had a tall, three-shelf cabinet where she kept her belongings. One section was dedicated to the books she read with love. She recalled her final year of school; a time when she and her classmates went to school together with excitement and passion. The yellow and white color of the room’s walls reminded her of the classroom. Her room was decorated with a bed, a chair, a desk, a cabinet, and a red Afghan carpet that she had chosen herself with care. She loved that space deeply; it was her only comforting refuge in moments of sorrow. Whenever she needed solitude, she preferred to retreat there, because from that spot, she could sit and watch the view outside the window. It has been almost two years since she last went to school, because the Taliban do not allow girls to receive an education. Even thinking about it made her kind heart ache. Raihan had beautiful dreams of finishing her education in her homeland so she could serve her family and her people. She wept pearl-like tears for her dreams, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Her mother’s silhouette appeared in the doorway, and the moment she opened the door, she froze in place. With furrowed brows, she looked at her daughter with urgency and surprise. “My dear daughter, are you crying?” Raihan wiped her tears. “Mother dear, I was thinking about the dreams I had after graduating from school... how I would build my character and achieve my goals.” Her mother said, “May I be sacrificed for your beautiful honey, almond-shaped eyes, my daughter.” Her mother gently tucked behind her ear the golden strands of Raihan’s hair that had fallen loose and been dampened by tears. She showered her beloved daughter with affection and blessings, then wrapped her in her warm embrace. “Such a pity if those tulip-like cheeks should ever burn in the fire of sorrow...” She kissed her moonlike face, caressed her gently, and after a brief pause, continued. “Don’t worry, my daughter. All of this will pass. God willing, you’ll return to school and continue your education.” “I hope so,” she replied. Raihan drew strength from her mother’s pure and kind-hearted words, seeing her as the true fighter in her life. Her mother’s embrace was the safest place in the face of every fear. Being near her and feeling her kindness gave Raihan's heart the strength to carry on. She lived through a painful day, filled with memories and dreams that had been lost. When the Taliban took over the government, the country’s economic, social, political, and cultural conditions began to deteriorate. Chaos took hold, and people were caught up in their lives, overwhelmed by disorder and uncertainty. Human beings are always in search of those with whom the good and bad moments of life become bearable; those with whom they can share both joy and sorrow. Whenever Raihan thought of Mursal, a smile appeared on her lips. She was the sugar and sweetness of Raihan’s heart; her jokes and laughter brought cheer to Raihan’s moments of longing. They called Mursal the “Pythagoras of the math class,” and everyone would say, “We’re waiting for your next formula, dear Pythagoras!” The only person who could ease Raihan’s worries and inner doubts was her tall and graceful friend, Rana. Raihan was often amazed by her intelligence and sharp mind; there was a hidden meaning behind every idea she shared. Hadia, the kind-hearted one, was Raihan’s companion in moments of restlessness, she listened more than she spoke. She paid close attention to her friends’ conversations and was deeply committed to her studies. The four of them shared a deep and close bond, filled with countless memories from school, with their teachers, classmates, and exams. Football and walking together were their favorite leisure activities. During exam season, they studied side by side. Their exam results were always good, and they shared their success with their families to gain even more support. An indescribable love and affection flowed between each one of them. All four girls had beautiful dreams and goals. They studied the subjects of eleventh grade with excitement and enthusiasm to prepare for the Kankor entrance exam. Together, they planned for graduation and continuing their education. After the Kankor exam, they hoped to enter Kabul University and study in their chosen fields. Raihan was a strong and courageous girl. She always managed her tasks with order and precision. She was one of the best, most capable, and intelligent students in the class. All the teachers loved her; with her kindness and pleasant demeanor, she was beloved by everyone. She treated her friends with warmth and was always there for them in difficult times. Hadia, with her sweet smile, was generous to her younger brothers and sisters. She preferred to take care of her own responsibilities and helped her mother with household tasks. She wanted to be a useful and impactful person in both her family and society.

Photo: AP/variety In the silent streets of Kabul, where women’s performances once echoed before the camera, a heavy silence now fills the air. Afghan women actresses, who had managed to enter the world of art despite years of social and cultural pressure, have once again been pushed to the margins. Through their anti-women restrictions, the Taliban appear to have turned time backwards. Kobra Hashemi is one of these women actresses; a woman who supported her family by acting in films and television series, but now gazes helplessly at the four walls of her home. Kobra told Zan News: “The Taliban not only prevent me from artistic activity, but have also forced me to remain at home. Art was my only means of livelihood, and now it has been taken away from me.” But Kobra is not alone. Shazia Farahmand, another actress, recalls the days when she had already been threatened by the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. “They told me that my face should no longer appear in films. Now, even my participation in television programmes is forbidden. They want to silence our voices, as if we do not exist at all.” Meanwhile, Khadija Naimi, a woman who is both a mother and the sole breadwinner of her family, recounts her difficult living conditions to Zan News in a trembling voice. “I have no husband, no one to bring food home. Through art, I was able to feed my four daughters. But now… we go to bed hungry at night.” These accounts are only a few among hundreds of women whose voices have been lost within the high walls of politics and extremism; women for whom art was not only a passion but a means of survival. Today, the curtain has fallen, and the lights of the cameras have gone dark, not by choice but by force. Afghan women actresses once again stand amid darkness, holding on to the hope that still lives in their hearts.

Photo: UNICEF/Munir Tanweer The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that hunger in Afghanistan is worsening, with malnutrition among children rising rapidly. In a post on X on Monday (October 20), the agency said that due to funding shortages, it can reach only a small portion of those in need and urgently requires support before winter arrives. The WFP stressed that “every child has the right to sufficient and nutritious food,” but in Afghanistan, this right has been denied to millions of children. It further noted that nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life plays a vital role in physical and mental development, and a lack of essential nutrients during this period can affect health, learning, and future income. Earlier, the WFP said it urgently needs 622 million dollars to continue its operations in Afghanistan. Without this funding, millions of people will face a humanitarian crisis in the coming winter. According to reports by UN-affiliated agencies, more than 9.5 million people in Afghanistan are experiencing severe food insecurity, with about 1.5 million in an emergency phase. The crisis has particularly affected women and children; statistics indicate that over 14 million children are at risk of acute malnutrition, and at least 500,000 children could die of hunger this year. Restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women, the decline in international aid, economic collapse, widespread unemployment, and natural disasters are among the main factors contributing to this crisis.

Photo: Ariana News/EU Gilles Bertrand, the European Union’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, has described the human rights situation in the country, particularly for women, as worrying at the end of his six-day visit to Kabul. He called the Taliban’s decision to ban women from working in UN offices “a negative signal to the international community” and urged the group to reconsider its restrictions. In a statement issued on Sunday (October 19), Bertrand said that the Taliban’s limitations on humanitarian organisations have made aid delivery in Afghanistan difficult and costly. According to him, since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the European Union has allocated more than 1.8 billion euros for humanitarian aid, health, education and economic development in Afghanistan. He added that a new package worth 83 million euros has also been allocated to support the private sector, create jobs, promote education and health, and strengthen women’s economic empowerment. The EU envoy also reaffirmed support for media freedom in his statement. He expressed concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and called on the Taliban and Pakistan to exercise restraint and protect civilians.

Image: GETTY IMAGES The United Nations, emphasizing the right to security for all women and girls, has called on governments to implement protective laws and invest in preventing gender-based violence. UN Women on Sunday (October 19) wrote in a post on the social network X: “Every woman and girl has the right to feel safe everywhere.” The organization emphasized that governments must, by effectively enforcing laws and ending the impunity of perpetrators of violence, work to create a world free from fear and discrimination. This message comes as women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule are deprived of their most basic human rights. Afghanistan today is the only country where girls above the sixth grade are banned from education, a restriction that has kept more than 2.2 million girls out of school and threatens the future of the young generation. The Taliban have also banned women from working in most public and private institutions and prohibited their presence in public spaces, including parks, gyms, and television programs. These widespread bans have pushed the lives of women and girls to the margins and increased poverty, forced marriage, and domestic violence. Human rights activists say the Taliban’s policies against women constitute “gender apartheid,” and their continuation poses a serious threat to the social and human future of Afghanistan.

image source: wikipedia The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has condemned the Taliban’s suspension of Shamshad Television’s operations, calling it “a direct interference in media affairs.” In a statement issued on Saturday (October 18), the organization said that the Taliban’s intelligence agency halted Shamshad TV’s broadcasts due to its “failure to cover border clashes with Pakistan and its lack of support for the Taliban.” The Center urged the Taliban to immediately allow the network to resume its operations. Shamshad TV was shut down on Friday night (October 17) by order of Taliban security institutions in Kabul “until further notice.” Its radio, social media pages, and news sections were also suspended simultaneously. According to some sources, the order to suspend the channel was issued by Taliban security authorities in Kandahar, where the group’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based. Shamshad TV is one of Afghanistan’s most established and widely viewed media outlets, broadcasting news, cultural, and social programs in Pashto since 2006. Since the Taliban’s return to power, severe media censorship, journalist detentions, threats against media managers, and economic restrictions have forced dozens of domestic outlets to shut down. The closure of Shamshad TV marks yet another example of the growing pressure on press freedom in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Image: AP The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that Afghanistan is facing one of the worst hunger crises in the world. In a post on X on Thursday (October 16), the organization stated: “9.5 million people in Afghanistan are experiencing severe food insecurity, and one in every five people does not know where their next meal will come from.” OCHA warned that women and children are the most affected by this crisis, and without urgent funding, millions are at risk of severe malnutrition. Earlier, the World Food Programme (WFP) had also warned that the hunger crisis in Afghanistan is deepening by the day. According to WFP statistics, more than 7.4 million women and children in the country require immediate treatment for malnutrition. The agency further projected that in 2025, more than 3.5 million children under the age of five could suffer from acute malnutrition.

Image: reuters/livemint The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that one month after the devastating earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan, more than 212,000 surviving children are at serious risk of contracting diseases caused by a lack of clean water and proper sanitation. In a statement issued on Thursday (October 16), UNICEF said that 132 water sources in the earthquake-affected areas have been destroyed, leaving families without access to safe drinking water and basic hygiene facilities. According to the organization, health centers in the affected provinces have reported alarming increases in diseases such as skin rashes, dehydration, and acute diarrhea. UNICEF stressed that urgent action is needed to prevent the current situation from turning into a full-scale health crisis. Tajudeen Oyewale , UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, described the situation as “a perfect storm for a public health disaster,” saying: “Children who survived the earthquake are now living in temporary shelters without clean water or toilets. These conditions could claim the lives of hundreds more children through disease.” UNICEF also warned that the collapse of water and sanitation systems has put women and girls at greater risk of gender-based violence and insecurity in public spaces. Despite ongoing relief efforts, only half of the required 21.6 million USD funding has been secured. The agency urged the international community to increase financial support immediately to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan in early September killed more than 1,200 children and leveled dozens of villages. According to Save the Children, the victims included more than 500 girls and 650 boys.

Sent to Zan TV The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed concern over the rising civilian casualties in border clashes between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, welcoming the ceasefire announced between the two sides and calling for an immediate end to the violence. In its official statement released on Thursday (October 16), UNAMA said that since October 10, armed clashes between Taliban forces and the Pakistani military have resulted in heavy civilian casualties. According to the statement, the highest number of civilian casualties occurred in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, where at least 17 civilians were killed and 346 others injured. Women and children are among the victims. UNAMA also reported that the initial clashes in the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Kunar, and Helmand resulted in at least 15 injuries and one civilian death. The UN mission urged all parties involved to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to adhere to the principles of “distinction, proportionality, and precaution” in military operations to protect civilian lives.

Image sourec: The Nation Following escalating tensions between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, heavy border clashes between the two sides broke out early Wednesday morning (October 15) in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, resulting in numerous casualties on both sides. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said in a post on X that Pakistani forces attacked Afghan territory using light and heavy weapons, killing more than 12 civilians and injuring at least 100 others. He claimed that Taliban fighters, in a counter-operation, captured “several Pakistani military outposts” and “killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers.” However, the Pakistani army denied these claims and accused the Taliban of initiating the attack. In a statement, Pakistani military officials said their forces had “effectively repelled” Taliban assaults in the border areas of Chaman and Kurram, adding that between 15 and 20 Taliban fighters were killed during the clashes. Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, expressed concern over civilian casualties and displacement caused by the fighting. He urged both sides to exercise restraint and respect international law. According to local sources, women and children are among the injured, and the fighting lasted for several hours. Reports indicate that the intensity of the clashes overnight forced several families to flee from the border areas. This incident marks the latest escalation in the growing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan. In recent days, the two countries have repeatedly accused each other of violating border sovereignty. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harboring fighters from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).