Why 'Gender Persecution' Doesn't Capture What's Happening to Afghan Women
In recent years, several countries—including Croatia, Malta, and others—have recognized femicide as a distinct crime. The Italian government and parliament also took this step, acknowledging that killing a woman solely because of her gender is not just homicide, but a crime rooted in gender-based violence. These legislative shifts are historic because they name what was [...]
Portugal parliament approves ban on face coverings in public
The Portugese parliament passed a controversial bill on Friday banning face coverings worn for gender or religious reasons in most public places. The legislation, proposed by the far-right Chega party, specifically targets Islamic garments such as the burqah, a full-body garment that covers a woman’s head to foot with a mesh screen for sight, and the [...]
UN condemns Taliban directive barring women from medical education
The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) on Thursday condemned a new Taliban directive barring Afghan women and girls from attending classes at medical institutions, warning that it will have devastating consequences for the country’s healthcare system. OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani stated: “The measure is profoundly discriminatory, short-sighted and puts the lives of women and [...]
In the latest in a series of decrees, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban have banned women from hearing other women’s voices. The Telegraph reported that the minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, Khalid Hanafi, said: “Even when an adult female prays and another female passes by, she must not pray loudly enough for [...]
Former Afghanistan president calls on Taliban to allow education for girls
The former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, called Sunday for the Taliban regime to allow education for girls and women. Posting on X to commemorate the 105th anniversary of Afghanistan’s independence, Karzai urged the people of the nation to collaborate in order to learn and progress. Since their takeover in 2021, the Taliban have been [...]
'Now I Often Sit in a Burqa, Hiding my Face, and Begging' — A Grim Glimpse Into Taliban Rule
Nearly three years after the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan, the regime’s oppressive actions against women continue unabated. In a recent broadcast reminiscent of ISIS tactics, the Taliban’s leader communicated a chilling message: a declaration of war against women’s rights and human dignity, effectively shattering any remaining hopes for Afghan women’s liberation under their rule. I [...]
UN report: Taliban restrictions limit women's rights in Afghanistan
A United Nations report published Friday indicated that the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s attire and its requirement that women have a male guardian are limiting Afghan women’s freedom of movement and access to education, employment, health care and other basic rights. The report states that many Afghan women are not leaving their homes alone due [...]
Taliban arrests women for 'bad hijab' in first dress code crackdown since returning to power
The Taliban have arrested women in Afghanistan for wearing “bad hijab” for the first time since coming to power, according to voice notes received Thursday by the AP from a spokesperson from the Taliban government’s Vice and Virtue Ministry. A year after they took power in 2021, the Taliban issued a strict dress code. Spokesperson [...]
Persuading the Taliban to Guarantee Education for Afghan Girls and Women
Since gaining power in August 2021, the Afghan Taliban, following a unique normative mixture of Pashtun culture and Islamic law, have closed universities, colleges, and secondary and primary schools to deny education to women and girls. In banning women from higher education, the Taliban education minister argued that female college students do not adhere to [...]
“t kind of makes you think people hate you because of the way you dress” an excerpt from an interview recorded in the article by Chris Allen titled, “‘People hate you because of the way you dress’: Understanding the invisible experience of veiled British Muslim women victims of Islamophobia.” Thomas Hammarberg, the Former Commissioner for [...]
