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Zan News: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stated that in the past three years, with the support of the Japanese government, employment opportunities have been provided for more than 856,000 people, including 225,000 women, in Afghanistan. Photo: REUTERS/Ali Khara Japan’s Support for Over 200,000 Afghan Women in the Last Three Years December 2, 2024 Zan News Zan News: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stated that in the past three years, with the support of the Japanese government, employment opportunities have been provided for more than 856,000 people, including 225,000 women, in Afghanistan. In a newsletter published on its X account, the UNDP wrote that this cooperation and support has been ongoing since 2021, and during this time, there have been 14,600 small and medium-sized businesses, including 8,600 businesses led by women. The newsletter also mentioned that during this period, over 1.7 million other individuals have gained access to improved services. The UNDP in Afghanistan also noted that in the past three years, with Japan's support, more than 5,000 facilities in Afghanistan have been powered by renewable energy. These contributions come at a time when the World Food Programme announced yesterday that with the arrival of winter, millions of people in Afghanistan will face severe hardships, and one in every four families is struggling to obtain enough food. The World Food Programme emphasized that millions of people across Afghanistan are struggling, and for the next six months, it requires 680 million US dollars for all its activities, including assistance to the most vulnerable families across the country.

Zan News - Faryab: A seven-year-old child and a 16-year-old teenage girl were brutally and mysteriously murdered by unknown individuals in Faryab province in two separate incidents. Social Media Brutal Murder of a Child and a Teenage Girl in Faryab July 28, 2024 Zan News Zan News - Faryab: A seven-year-old child and a 16-year-old teenage girl were brutally and mysteriously murdered by unknown individuals in Faryab province in two separate incidents. Local sources in Faryab reported on Saturday (27 July) that these separate incidents occurred in the Shirin Tagab district of the province. According to the sources, unknown individuals stabbed a seven-year-old child to death on Thursday in the village of Faizabad in the Shirin Tagab district. Meanwhile, in another incident, a 16-year-old teenage girl named Hadya, a resident of the Shor Bazaar village in the Shirin Tagab district, was brutally murdered. Local sources claim that the teenage girl was raped before being killed. The perpetrators of the rape and murder of the teenage girl are still unknown, but the Taliban have arrested two individuals in connection with the murder of the seven-year-old child. It is worth noting that in recent months, criminal incidents and mysterious murders have increased in several provinces of the country, including Faryab. In the latest incident, the stoned body of a young woman was found in Kandahar.

Zan News: Local sources in Ghazni report that Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban's Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, has forbidden journalists in the province from taking photos, citing the group's new law. Social Media Khalid Hanafi Prohibits Journalists from Taking Photos in Ghazni September 9, 2024 Zan News Zan News: Local sources in Ghazni report that Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban's Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, has forbidden journalists in the province from taking photos, citing the group's new law. According to media reports, Hanafi visited Ghazni province on Sunday (September 8th) to oversee and enforce the new law. Sources added that during a meeting in the province, Hanafi banned photography and videography. This comes as articles 17 and 22 of the Taliban's new law on the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice prohibit the photographing of humans and animals. Previously, the Taliban had banned the painting of human faces and the depiction of animals in various provinces of the country. Following the approval of the new law by the Taliban leader, the activities of national television in Kandahar were halted due to the display of images of living beings. This move by the Taliban has raised concerns among journalists, with some warning that these restrictions could lead to the closure of media outlets in Afghanistan.

Zan News: Malala Yousafzai, education activist and Nobel laureate, has expressed concern over the forced deportation of Afghan citizens, particularly women and girls, from Pakistan. She warned that this process puts them at risk of "suffering the Taliban's brutal oppression" and disproportionately affects Afghan women. Malala Yousafzai: Women and Girls in Afghanistan Facing Unacceptable Abuse and Threats July 6, 2024 Zan News Zan News: Malala Yousafzai, education activist and Nobel laureate, has expressed concern over the forced deportation of Afghan citizens, particularly women and girls, from Pakistan. She warned that this process puts them at risk of "suffering the Taliban's brutal oppression" and disproportionately affects Afghan women. In a message posted on her X account, Ms. Yousafzai wrote that under the Taliban's "gender apartheid" system, women and girls face unacceptable abuse and threats. Highlighting the Taliban's policies towards women and girls, Malala Yousafzai emphasized that their safety should be a priority and urged the Pakistani government to reconsider the forced deportation of Afghan citizens and protect Afghan women and girls from "oppression." She added that women and girls in Afghanistan are denied education beyond the sixth grade, and the Pakistani government should ensure that Afghan girls who remain in Pakistan have access to education. This comes as Pakistan initiated a forced deportation drive of undocumented migrants from the country in November last year, which includes 1.7 million Afghan citizens residing there. According to the latest statistics released by the International Organization for Migration, over 500,000 people have been returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan, with around 80% of them being women and girls. Previously, various organizations, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, have called on Pakistan to halt this process, as women and girls are deprived of all their rights under Taliban rule.

Zan News: The Women's Committee of the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization has stated in first six-month report of the solar year 1403 that the human rights situation in the country has deteriorated. Photo: AP Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization: Human Rights Situation in the Country Has Worsened October 9, 2024 Zan News Zan News: The Women's Committee of the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization has stated in first six-month report of the solar year 1403 that the human rights situation in the country has deteriorated. The organization released this report on Wednesday (October 9), stating that it had obtained information about the increasing violation of human rights by the Taliban through distributing online questionnaires to Afghan women both inside and outside the country. According to the report, 93.5% of respondents believe that the human rights situation has worsened in the first six months of this year. A total of 107 Afghan women participated in this survey; 91 of them live in 19 provinces of Afghanistan and 17 others live abroad. According to the organization's information, 62.6% of respondents have witnessed violence or violations of their fundamental rights by the Taliban. Approximately 70% of those who have been subjected to violence have refrained from providing evidence due to fear and security challenges. Additionally, 92.5% of respondents predicted that the human rights situation would worsen in the next six months. However, 37% of survey participants stated that their rights had not been violated. The Women's Committee of the Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization emphasized that since the Taliban regained power, Afghan women and girls have been deprived of their basic rights, including the right to education and work. The organization also pointed out that the international community has only condemned the violation of human rights in the country by the Taliban, but these condemnations have not yielded positive results. According to the report, international human rights organizations have consistently called for increased pressure on the Taliban to respect women's rights, but the international community's response has been limited. The organization believes that only sustained support from the international community can "reverse the Taliban's cruel policies" against Afghan women. This report comes as some international organizations have previously expressed concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

Zan News: The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has arrested seven people, including two women, from various areas of Kabul city on charges of “moral corruption.” Photo: AFP Taliban Arrest Seven People, Including Two Women, in Kabul October 30, 2024 Abdullah Naseri Zan News: The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has arrested seven people, including two women, from various areas of Kabul city on charges of “moral corruption.” The ministry issued a statement yesterday, Tuesday (October 29), stating that these individuals were arrested from 22 Districts of Kabul city. The statement mentions that the detainees have been handed over to the “relevant authorities” after the completion of investigations. No further details have been provided on this matter. Meanwhile, earlier, Taliban agents in Takhar province had also arrested 17 female bread sellers on similar charges.

Zan News: Malala Yousafzai, women's rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, says that the Taliban who have occupied Afghanistan are who that banned music and television in Pakistan's Swat Valley in 2008. Photo: Getty Images Malala Yousafzai: Afghanistan is Occupied by Taliban Who Banned Music and TV in My Village August 19, 2024 Zan News Zan News: Malala Yousafzai, women's rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, says that the Taliban who have occupied Afghanistan are who that banned music and television in Pakistan's Swat Valley in 2008. According to Deadline, Yousafzai made these remarks on Monday (August 19) on her Instagram page after attending a Taylor Swift concert in London. Malala Yousafzai stated, "The Taliban who have occupied Afghanistan who banned music and television in my village in 2008." She also expressed hope that one day girls will be able to attain all their rights. These statements are made while that the Taliban, following their return to power in Afghanistan, have widely violated the rights of citizens, especially women and girls.

Zan News: On the eve of the third anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Women's Political Participation Network has labeled August 15th as a "dark and ominous day" for the country and has called on the international community to support the Afghan people. Sent to Zan TV Afghanistan Women's Political Participation Network Calls August 15th a Dark and Ominous Day for the People of Afghanistan August 7, 2024 Zan News Zan News: On the eve of the third anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Women's Political Participation Network has labeled August 15th as a "dark and ominous day" for the country and has called on the international community to support the Afghan people. In a statement released on Tuesday (August 6), the network described August 15th as the day when "the international community handed over Afghanistan to the Taliban, destroying the lives of millions of Afghans." According to the network, this day symbolizes the unwarranted transfer of power to a "terrorist group" and the crushing of the hopes and dreams of the Afghan people. The network emphasized that "this bitter day should serve as a reminder for the unity and solidarity of the Afghan people to strive for the restoration of freedom, justice, and human rights." It also stressed that Afghanistan should not be forgotten and that a strong global movement for the country's freedom should be formed. The statement noted that "Afghan women have historically faced numerous challenges and hardships, and the situation for women under the Taliban has reached its most critical point. Women have been deprived of their fundamental rights and face issues such as domestic violence, forced marriages, gender discrimination, and lack of access to higher education." The Afghanistan Women's Political Participation Network also mentioned that "since the Taliban's takeover, more than 65 written decrees and numerous unwritten orders and ruthless regulations have been issued, resulting in the restriction and persecution of the people, especially women and girls. The Taliban, through establishing desert courts, proxy wars, massacres, and assaults, have proven to be dangerous for Afghanistan and the world." The network has called on the international community to recognize the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, to oust the Taliban from power, and to bring them to justice. In conclusion, the Afghanistan Women's Political Participation Network urged the international community to listen to the voices of the Afghan people regarding the problems the Taliban have caused, to cease supporting the Taliban, and to continue political pressures and sanctions on this group, especially on their "criminal" leaders. The statement ends with the slogan "Education, Work, Freedom," emphasizing that the Afghan people do not accept the Taliban and will continue to fight until Afghanistan is free.

The Humanitarian Crisis Amid the Forced Deportation of Afghan Refugees from Pakistan Photo: Stefanie Glinski The Open Wounds of Migration: Pakistan Expels, the World Watches April 19, 2025 Tamim Attaiy The Humanitarian Crisis Amid the Forced Deportation of Afghan Refugees from Pakistan Migration, at first glance, may seem like merely a movement from one land to another. But for the Afghan woman, migration often means fleeing death, escaping the shadow of the whip, breaking free from the prison of ignorance, and struggling to survive with human dignity. The Afghan woman, in recent decades, has become a symbol of resistance against tyranny. She did not fall silent under the burqa, she taught in secret classrooms, she fought with her pen and camera, and she struggled for a voice that others always tried to silence. With the Taliban's return to power in the summer of 2021, all of Afghan women’s achievements collapsed. Thousands of women who had been active in government institutions, the media, the military, and civil organizations were overnight turned into targets of suppression and elimination. Threats, persecution, arrests, and in some cases, murder were part of the price women paid for their independence and enlightenment. For many of them, the only way to survive was to leave their homeland. But migration was not the end of their suffering, it became the beginning of an endless exile, full of uncertainty, fear, and abandonment. Today, in the streets and camps of Pakistan, the voices of women can be heard who were once the intellectual and social pillars of Afghanistan. Women who are now undocumented, unsupported, and on the verge of forced deportation. Their story is one of compounded discrimination, as migrants, as women, and as voices that the powerful do not want to hear. Forced Deportation: A Cruel Policy Against Refugees In October 2023, the government of Pakistan implemented a new policy requiring all foreign nationals without valid residence documents to leave the country. This decision, made without regard for the legal and security status of Afghan refugees, sparked a wave of concern within the refugee community. Former women activists, already threatened by the Taliban, now feel unsafe in the host country as well. According to data released by Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, by the end of 2024, more than 500,000 Afghan refugees had been deported from Pakistan without consideration of their humanitarian situation. Meanwhile, human rights organizations including Amnesty International have warned that the forced return of refugees, especially former women activists, could lead to torture, imprisonment, or even death. U.S. Immigration Policies: A Hope Turned Into Despair In January 2025, the Donald Trump administration suspended Afghan refugee admissions for a period of three months. This decision halted the resettlement process for more than 20,000 Afghans who were awaiting relocation to the United States. Many of these individuals were women who had been at risk due to their collaboration with American institutions, media outlets, aid organizations, or human rights groups. In April 2025, the Trump administration also revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 14,600 Afghans and 7,900 Cameroonians residing in the United States. This move signaled the end of temporary protections for these individuals and increased the risk of their deportation from the country. Women’s Stories: From Hope to Despair Noria Sakandari, a former employee in the Human Rights Division of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, fled to Pakistan after the fall of Kabul. She says, "My case was registered under the P2 program. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad told me to wait. Now two years have passed, and with the arrival of the Trump administration, no response has come. We have been erased from the list of human beings." Samira Ebrahimi, a former journalist for a reputable media outlet in Kabul who is now a member of the Federation of Afghan Journalists in Exile and currently living in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, says, "When the Taliban shut down my news agency, I fled Afghanistan overnight. In Pakistan, I hoped my voice would not be silenced. But today, I even feel watched here." Maliha, a former officer in the Afghan National Army, represents a story of both pain and courage. After the fall of Kabul, she entered Pakistan alone through smuggling routes. With a wounded body and a troubled soul, she now lives in a refugee camp near Islamabad. She says, "I laid down my weapon to save my life, but even here I have no safety. I am a woman, a former soldier, and a restless soul longing for my homeland." Global Reactions: Silence or Powerlessness? Despite repeated warnings from international organizations, the Pakistani government has continued deporting refugees. Human Rights Watch stated in a report, "The forced deportation of asylum seekers who face threats upon return to Afghanistan is a violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention." However, despite these warnings, Western countries have also remained silent in the face of this crisis. The United States’ strict immigration policies in 2024 significantly reduced the acceptance of cases filed by Afghan women. According to recent data from the U.S. immigration office, only 8 percent of asylum applications from Afghan women who were active during the republic have been approved. An Uncertain Ending, an Unclear Future The future of these women is shrouded in uncertainty. The world, which once sang songs of equality for the rights of Afghan women, now seems either powerless or indifferent as it watches their suffering. This report is an echo of the silenced voices of women who, caught between escape and erasure, hold on to a faint hope for justice. The wounds of migration have neither healed nor been acknowledged. Pakistan continues to deport, and the world is still just watching.

The Islam Qala border is not just a geographic line between two countries these days; it is a line between hope and despair — between mothers who left Afghanistan in search of a better life and now return empty-handed, a child in their arms, to a place where no one is waiting for them. Photo: AP "No One Was Waiting for Us… Not Even Our Homeland" A Story of Unaccompanied Afghan Women Deported from Iran April 15, 2025 Tamim Attaiy The Islam Qala border is not just a geographic line between two countries these days; it is a line between hope and despair — between mothers who left Afghanistan in search of a better life and now return empty-handed, a child in their arms, to a place where no one is waiting for them. Arezo, a 34-year-old unaccompanied woman, is one of the hundreds of women recently deported to Afghanistan. She says: "I was in Iran for eleven years. My husband was an addict and passed away three years ago. I worked, I took care of my mother and the children myself. But now, with only the clothes on our backs, they threw us here. They said: You're illegal, you have to leave." Next to her stands Somayeh — a young woman with two small daughters: one six years old and the other only two and a half. She says: "My husband abandoned us. I used to sew and work to raise these two. I had no support, no income, no security. And now they’ve kicked us out of Iran as well. We slept the first night at customs. I don’t even know where I’ll be tonight." These mothers are just a few examples of a new wave of deportations of unaccompanied Afghan women from Iran — deportations in which there is no assessment of individual circumstances, no access to legal services, and not even a chance to defend oneself. This is while, according to the 1951 Geneva Convention and the 1967 Protocol, no asylum seeker should be returned to a country where they face the threat of violence, persecution, or serious human rights violations. This fundamental principle, known as non-refoulement, is clearly stated in international law. Despite this, Iran has deported tens of thousands of Afghan migrants in recent months — including unaccompanied women and children. Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and UNHCR have repeatedly warned that this process constitutes a clear violation of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers. Inside Afghanistan, there is no specific support mechanism for returnees. These women, after crossing the border, have no home, no cash assistance, and no psychological services. One Taliban official in Islam Qala says: "We don’t have enough resources. We house some of them with the help of locals in mosques and hospitals, but their situation is truly critical." Arezo says at the end: "I never thought I’d be deported from Iran. I never thought my own homeland wouldn’t have a place for me either. I look at my children and just ask: what do we do now? Where do we go?" And Somayeh, holding her little daughter close to her chest, whispers quietly: "We were just women. Just mothers. But it seems like that is the greatest crime in the world."