aeon: My name is Marjan. In 1996, when the Taliban first took over Afghanistan, I was 12 years old. We lived in Kabul. My father was perpetually unemployed and I could never understand why. While he didn’t do anything to provide for his family, he smoked hashish, which my mother had to pay for. My
By Farangis Najibullah Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 17, 2025 Since the Taliban returned to power almost four years ago, few women have been able to keep their jobs amid an increasing array of restrictions on women’s freedoms. Ameena is one of them. Now, Ameena, and the few others like her who haven’t lost their careers
Khaama: Over 10 countries condemned Afghanistan’s human rights violations, urging international accountability and justice, especially for women, vulnerable groups, and marginalized communities. Countries including Canada, Italy, Indonesia, Qatar, Ireland, South Africa, and Switzerland voiced deep concerns about the systematic suppression of women’s rights and gender-based violence under the Taliban regime. Delegates called for greater international
Amu: The teachers, some of whom have worked for decades within Afghanistan’s public school system, are protesting the abrupt loss of livelihood and demanding that their owed wages be paid. In addition to dismissals, female educators report that their salaries have been repeatedly cut and some have been reassigned to distant schools under Taliban orders.
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Herat province has instructed the local traffic authority to ban women from driving, according to an official letter obtained by local media. The letter, signed by Sheikh Azizurrahman Muhajir, head of the directorate, claims that “women are incapable of learning
The Guardian (UK): When the rules were announced, it was unclear how a relatively small number of “morality police” employed by the Taliban would enforce and implement these rules. Yet, in the months since the rules were announced, it has been fathers, brothers and husbands who have become, in effect, unpaid foot soldiers imposing the
Amu: Several women employed by United Nations agencies in Afghanistan say Taliban have escalated threats against their families in a bid to force them to quit their jobs, raising alarm over the safety of humanitarian workers and the future of international aid operations in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Women and girls in Afghanistan accuse foreign tourists of whitewashing the Taliban’s image, claiming that these tourists enter the country at the direct invitation of the Taliban. According to these women, foreign tourists, seeking to attract attention and enjoy their travel experiences, deliberately overlook the suffering and deprivation of women stripped of all their
Amu: Zakia Khudadadi, a para-taekwondo athlete from Afghanistan, announced on Thursday that she had won a bronze medal at the Brazil Para Taekwondo Open, adding another accolade to her trailblazing international career. “This medal is not just for me,” she wrote in a social media post, “but for all Afghan women who, despite all hardships,
8am: Several women in Kabul say that after the closure of public bathhouses designated for women and the lack of access to sufficient water, they have been forced to go to relatives’ homes to maintain personal hygiene for themselves and their families. These women say that this has created numerous challenges for them. They view