'Afghanistan is a pot with no cover; anything can fall in it, anything can be taken'
2 months ago

'Afghanistan is a pot with no cover; anything can fall in it, anything can be taken'

Firstpost  

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Afghan women’s rights activist Mahbouba Seraj gave her take on China, Russia and other foreign actors’ growing ties with the Taliban. Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday issued strong backing for Afghanistan at a regional conference, while making no mention of human rights abuses by the country’s Taliban leaders. In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Afghan women’s rights activist Mahbouba Seraj shared her take on the latest ban and questioned the international actors forging ties with the Taliban. Source: File Image / AFP Taliban and the world In January, China became the first country to formally welcome a Talibani diplomat and referred to him as Afghanistan’s ambassador.

Human Rights International World Rights Afghanistan Taliban Chinese Foreign Kabul Mahbouba Seraj No Cover Country China Women Seraj  fall  women  seraj  rights  world  foreign  cover  taken  international  taliban  afghanistan  country  china  pot

History of this topic

Taliban Imposes New Restrictions On Residential Windows To Limit Visibility Of Women
1 week, 5 days ago

Taliban Imposes New Restrictions On Residential Windows To Limit Visibility Of Women

ABP News  

The Taliban has imposed further restrictions in Afghanistan and has now banned the construction of windows in certain parts of the residential buildings that overlook when Afghan women are present. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media platform X, that seeing women in kitchens, in courtyards or when collecting water can “lead to obscene acts”. “Seeing women working in …

Taliban's latest misogynistic diktat for NGOs in Afghanistan: Either stop employing women or face closure
1 week, 5 days ago

Taliban's latest misogynistic diktat for NGOs in Afghanistan: Either stop employing women or face closure

India TV News  

In what comes as a new diktat in Afghanistan, the Taliban has asked all national and foreign nongovernmental groups to stop employing women, threatening to close those which don't follow the latest orders. In a letter posted on social media, Afghanistan's economy ministry said that if NGOs fail to comply with the latest order, they will lose their license to …

Thanks to the Taliban’s new rules on birth, even more women will die
1 month ago

Thanks to the Taliban’s new rules on birth, even more women will die

The Independent  

The faces of the midwives who delivered my children are etched into my memory: Minnie, who performed an emergency episiotomy as my eldest’s heart rate yo-yoed alarmingly, and Barbara, who calmly manoeuvred my youngest into place after her shoulder wedged itself dangerously into my pelvis. On Tuesday, reports indicated that it had shut down midwifery training colleges in the country, …

All the ways the Taliban are restricting lives of women in Afghanistan
1 month ago

All the ways the Taliban are restricting lives of women in Afghanistan

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Here is a list of activities from which Afghan …

'Afghanistan is facing gender-based apartheid, world must come together to address it'
2 months ago

'Afghanistan is facing gender-based apartheid, world must come together to address it'

Firstpost  

In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Afghan human rights activist Mahbouba Seraj narrates how the Taliban’s new ban has taken the country by surprise On October 26, the women in Afghanistan faced another brunt from the Taliban regime after they were barred from technically “hearing each other”. The Taliban’s Minister of Vice and Virtue, Khalid Hanafi, issued a new ban …

Meryl Streep says cats have more rights than women in Afghanistan
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Meryl Streep says cats have more rights than women in Afghanistan

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. She joined several prominent Afghan women activists at the …

How Taliban’s Draconian ‘Morality’ Law Targets Afghan Women, Who Are The Muhtasibs?
4 months ago

How Taliban’s Draconian ‘Morality’ Law Targets Afghan Women, Who Are The Muhtasibs?

News 18  

How miserable are women in Afghanistan can be understood from the fact that the Taliban have passed a new “morality” law — ‘Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’ — which imposes its interpretation of sharia or Islamic law on people and bans women from showing any part of their bodies or faces in public. Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada …

Taliban rejects UN concerns over laws banning women's voices and bare faces in public
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Taliban rejects UN concerns over laws banning women's voices and bare faces in public

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Roza Otunbayeva, who heads the U.N. mission in the …

Taliban vice and virtue laws provide 'distressing vision' for Afghanistan, warns UN envoy
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Taliban vice and virtue laws provide 'distressing vision' for Afghanistan, warns UN envoy

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Taliban’s new vice and …

Afghans are suffering. Don’t expect any tears from the Taliban
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Afghans are suffering. Don’t expect any tears from the Taliban

Live Mint  

THE STREETS of Kabul used to be riotously, almost headache-inducingly colourful. There were billboards advertising Western wear and Punjabi salwar kameez, murals promoting women’s and children’s rights, and everywhere the black-red-green tricolour of the Afghan Republic. Black-and-white also describes Western countries’ approach to Afghanistan since their humiliating exit from the country on August 15th 2021. Islamic State Khorasan Province, a …

Afghan women's rights an internal issue, Taliban says before U.N.-led talks
6 months, 1 week ago

Afghan women's rights an internal issue, Taliban says before U.N.-led talks

The Hindu  

Taliban authorities said on June 29 that demands over women's rights were "Afghanistan's issues" to solve, ahead of United Nations-led engagement talks where the exclusion of Afghan women has sparked outcry. The Taliban government, which has imposed restrictions on women since seizing power in 2021 that the U.N. has described as "gender apartheid", will send its first delegation to the …

Afghan women's rights an internal issue, says Taliban government before UN-led talks
6 months, 1 week ago

Afghan women's rights an internal issue, says Taliban government before UN-led talks

India Today  

Taliban authorities said on Saturday that demands over women's rights were "Afghanistan's issues" to solve, ahead of United Nations-led engagement talks where the exclusion of Afghan women has sparked outcry. The Taliban government, which has imposed restrictions on women since seizing power in 2021 that the UN has described as "gender apartheid", will send its first delegation to the third …

Women’s rights will be raised at the UN meeting being attended by Taliban, UN official says
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Women’s rights will be raised at the UN meeting being attended by Taliban, UN official says

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. political chief who will chair the first meeting between Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and envoys from about 25 countries answered sharp criticism that Afghan women have been excluded, saying Wednesday that women’s rights will be raised at every session. Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo stressed to a small group of reporters that the two-day meeting starting Sunday is …

UN envoy defends failure to include Afghan women in upcoming meeting with Taliban in Qatar
6 months, 2 weeks ago

UN envoy defends failure to include Afghan women in upcoming meeting with Taliban in Qatar

The Hindu  

The United Nations' top official in Afghanistan defended the failure to include Afghan women in the upcoming first meeting between the Taliban and envoys from 22 countries, insisting that demands for women's rights are certain to be raised. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan said that, in the face of the Taliban's tightening repression of women and girls, the …

UN envoy defends failure to include Afghan women in upcoming meeting with the Taliban in Qatar
6 months, 2 weeks ago

UN envoy defends failure to include Afghan women in upcoming meeting with the Taliban in Qatar

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations’ top official in Afghanistan defended the failure to include Afghan women in the upcoming first meeting between the Taliban and envoys from 22 countries, insisting that demands for women’s rights are certain to be raised. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan said that, in the face of the Taliban’s tightening repression of women …

UN envoy defends failure to include Afghan women in upcoming meeting with the Taliban in Qatar
6 months, 2 weeks ago

UN envoy defends failure to include Afghan women in upcoming meeting with the Taliban in Qatar

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Human Rights Watch Executive Director …

UN rapporteur calls for Taliban’s ‘gender apartheid’ to be codified as crime against humanity
6 months, 3 weeks ago

UN rapporteur calls for Taliban’s ‘gender apartheid’ to be codified as crime against humanity

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Taliban should be held …

​Afghanistan in a state of gender apartheid as women's rights are being picked apart
8 months, 4 weeks ago

​Afghanistan in a state of gender apartheid as women's rights are being picked apart

Hindustan Times  

In March 2024 Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, broadcast a message about resuming public stoning and flogging women to death as punishments for adultery-related crimes. It was reminiscent of the Taliban’s first stint in power in Kabul from 1996-2001, during which women and girls were barred from education, employment and going out in public without a …

Afghan women stage rare protests, braving Taliban reprisals
10 months ago

Afghan women stage rare protests, braving Taliban reprisals

Al Jazeera  

Small groups of Afghan women have gathered in private spaces to demand that harsh restrictions on their freedoms be lifted, despite recent Taliban crackdowns on protests that have seen activists detained. On Friday, Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan, called on the Taliban government “to immediately and unconditionally release all those who have been …

Taliban enforcing restrictions on single Afghan women: U.N. report
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Taliban enforcing restrictions on single Afghan women: U.N. report

The Hindu  

The Taliban are restricting Afghan women's access to work, travel and healthcare if they are unmarried or don't have a male guardian, according to a U.N. report published on January 22. In its latest quarterly report, covering October to December last year, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said the Taliban are cracking down on Afghan women who are single or …

UN concerned over Taliban arrests of Afghan women and girls for alleged Islamic headscarf violations
11 months, 4 weeks ago

UN concerned over Taliban arrests of Afghan women and girls for alleged Islamic headscarf violations

Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan — The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said Thursday it was deeply concerned by recent arbitrary arrests and detentions by the Taliban government of women and girls for allegedly violating dress codes regarding the Islamic headscarf, or hijab. The Taliban said last week that female police officers have been taking women into custody for wearing “bad hijab.” It …

Taliban officials sending Afghan women to prison to 'protect' them from gender-based violence: UN
1 year ago

Taliban officials sending Afghan women to prison to 'protect' them from gender-based violence: UN

India TV News  

A UN report published on Thursday made an astounding claim that women in Afghanistan were sent to prison by Taliban officials in order to 'protect' them from gender-based violence. "Confining women who are already in a situation of vulnerability in a punitive environment would also likely have a negative impact on their mental and physical health, re-victimisation and put them …

Taliban sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, says UN report
1 year ago

Taliban sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, says UN report

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Afghanistan’s pro-democracy leaders still see a future without the Taliban
1 year, 1 month ago

Afghanistan’s pro-democracy leaders still see a future without the Taliban

The Independent  

Forced to gather in exile, Afghanistan’s resistance movement is working in the shadows on ways to oust the Taliban from its grip on Kabul, knowing it can no longer trust or rely on the Western allies who so hastily pulled out of the country in August 2021. “The West is watching the Taliban close schools and ban education, but it …

Afghanistan marks two years of women and girls being banned from schools: ‘Hopeless and broken’
1 year, 3 months ago

Afghanistan marks two years of women and girls being banned from schools: ‘Hopeless and broken’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UN General Assembly is …

Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public
1 year, 4 months ago

Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public

Deccan Chronicle  

KABUL: Women lose value if men can see their uncovered faces in public, a spokesman for a key ministry of Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Thursday, adding that religious scholars in the country agree that a woman must keep her face covered when outside the home. “It is very bad to see women in some areas, and our scholars also agree …

Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public
1 year, 4 months ago

Taliban official says women lose value if their faces are visible to men in public

Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan — Women lose value if men can see their uncovered faces in public, a spokesman for a key ministry of Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Thursday, adding that religious scholars in the country agree that a woman must keep her face covered when outside the home. “It is very bad to see women in some areas, and our scholars …

Two Years After Kabul's Fall: Afghans Speak of Hope and Challenges Under Taliban Rule
1 year, 4 months ago

Two Years After Kabul's Fall: Afghans Speak of Hope and Challenges Under Taliban Rule

News 18  

Two years since the Taliban stormed back to power in Afghanistan after 20 years of war against the United States and its allies, life has changed dramatically for many Afghans, particularly women. “People don’t buy much of our produce any more,” said Azizi, who farms just over one hectare of rented land. Now, he is a police officer in the …

Afghan supreme leader says women 'saved from oppression' by Taliban
1 year, 6 months ago

Afghan supreme leader says women 'saved from oppression' by Taliban

The Hindu  

Afghanistan's supreme leader said Sunday the country's women were being saved from "traditional oppressions" by the adoption of Islamic governance and their status as "free and dignified human beings" restored. In a statement marking this week's Eid al-Adha holiday, Hibatullah Akhundzada – who rarely appears in public and rules by decree from the Taliban's birthplace in Kandahar – said steps …

‘War on women’: Taliban curbs on Afghan females a ‘crime’
1 year, 7 months ago

‘War on women’: Taliban curbs on Afghan females a ‘crime’

Al Jazeera  

Taliban crackdown on Afghan women’s rights could constitute gender persecution, Amnesty International and the International Commission for Jurists say. Rights groups have denounced severe restrictions imposed on women and girls by the Taliban in Afghanistan as gender-based persecution, which is a crime against humanity under international law. In a new report, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists underscored …

UN says its women workers harassed and ‘severely restricted’ in Afghanistan
1 year, 8 months ago

UN says its women workers harassed and ‘severely restricted’ in Afghanistan

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “This is the most recent in a series of …

United Nations holds Afghanistan crisis talks without Taliban
1 year, 8 months ago

United Nations holds Afghanistan crisis talks without Taliban

The Hindu  

The Taliban authorities will be absent from the U.N.-led talks on Afghanistan that open on May 1 in Qatar, as a government spokesman rejects linking international engagement with women's rights in the crisis-stricken country. In an open letter to the Doha meeting released on Sunday, a coalition of Afghan women's groups said they were "outraged" that any country would consider …

Afghan women protesters urge against foreign recognition of Taliban
1 year, 8 months ago

Afghan women protesters urge against foreign recognition of Taliban

The Hindu  

A group of Afghan women protested in Kabul on Saturday, defying a crackdown on dissent to urge foreign nations not to formally recognise the Taliban government ahead of a UN summit next week. "Recognition of Taliban — violation of women's rights," the women chanted during the march, which lasted no longer than 10 minutes and passed without confrontation with security …

U.N. urges Afghanistan's Taliban to reverse bans on women
1 year, 8 months ago

U.N. urges Afghanistan's Taliban to reverse bans on women

The Hindu  

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday calling on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to swiftly reverse their increasingly harsh restrictions on women and girls, which range from very severely restricting education to banning women from most jobs, public spaces and gyms. The council condemned the Taliban's ban on women working for the U.N., a decision the resolution calls …

World faces tough choices in dealing with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
1 year, 9 months ago

World faces tough choices in dealing with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 22, 2023 14:24 IST - 7 MINS READ On the third anniversary of the Doha Agreement, signed on February 29, 2020, between the United States and the Afghan Taliban, US spokesperson Ned Price said that the Afghan Taliban were empowered by the agreement. The Afghan Taliban, in its statement, celebrated the day on which the US-led foreign …

Afghan women deserve a Nobel Peace Prize
1 year, 9 months ago

Afghan women deserve a Nobel Peace Prize

Al Jazeera  

Under the Taliban regime, Afghan women are facing growing hostility and restrictions, but they continue to resist. Indeed, Fatima has emerged as a symbol of women and girls’ struggle for their rights under the Taliban regime. Afghan women have been banned from going to parks, gyms, and other public places and from working in nongovernmental organisations and certain government institutions. …

UN Security Council asks for advice on dealing with Afghan Taliban
1 year, 9 months ago

UN Security Council asks for advice on dealing with Afghan Taliban

Firstpost  

The Taliban administration, which seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. United Nations: The United Nations Security Council on Thursday asked Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide an independent assessment on how to deal with Afghanistan’s Taliban administration …

It's her right...: Afghanistan news broadcaster airs rare all-female panel discussion on Women's Day
1 year, 10 months ago

It's her right...: Afghanistan news broadcaster airs rare all-female panel discussion on Women's Day

India Today  

Whether you want it or not, women exist in society, said former university professor Zakira Nabil during a dicussion in a rare all-female panel broadcast aired by Afghan broadcaster Tolo News. An Afghan news network held a rare, nearly 50-minute broadcast with an all-female panel on its studio on International Women’s Day, reported news agency Reuters. It was a rare …

UN: Afghanistan is world’s most repressive country for women
1 year, 10 months ago

UN: Afghanistan is world’s most repressive country for women

Associated Press  

ISLAMABAD — Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has become the most repressive in the world for women and girls, deprived of virtually all their basic rights, the United Nations said in grim assessments on International Women’s Day. The U.N. Mission said in a statement Wednesday that Afghanistan’s new rulers have shown an almost “singular …

UN envoy in Afghanistan warns of aid cuts over Taliban crackdown on women's rights
1 year, 10 months ago

UN envoy in Afghanistan warns of aid cuts over Taliban crackdown on women's rights

Firstpost  

The Taliban administration, which seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law United Nations: The UN envoy in Afghanistan warned on Wednesday that a Taliban administration crackdown on women’s rights is likely to lead to a drop in …

Afghanistan world’s most repressive country for women: U.N.
1 year, 10 months ago

Afghanistan world’s most repressive country for women: U.N.

The Hindu  

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the country has become the most repressive in the world for women and girls, deprived of many of their basic rights, the United Nations said on Wednesday. In a statement released on International Women's Day, the U.N. mission said that Afghanistan's new rulers have shown an almost “singular focus on imposing rules that leave …

How single women and widows in Afghanistan are struggling to find their next meal
1 year, 11 months ago

How single women and widows in Afghanistan are struggling to find their next meal

Firstpost  

Jamila*, a widow living in Herat, lost her husband in a suicide attack about eight years ago. The recent Taliban ban on women working in international and national organisations and women moving about public spaces has also affected women being able to find employment. The recent Taliban ban on women working in international and national organisations, as well as women …

Single Afghan women, widows struggle to find their next meal under Taliban restrictions
1 year, 11 months ago

Single Afghan women, widows struggle to find their next meal under Taliban restrictions

The Hindu  

Jamila, a widow living in Herat, lost her husband in a suicide attack about eight years ago. The recent Taliban ban on women working in international and national organisations and women moving about public spaces has also affected women being able to find employment. The January 2023 high-level U.N. delegation led by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called on the Taliban …

Afghanistan to be further isolated if its women face isolation, UN warns Taliban
1 year, 11 months ago

Afghanistan to be further isolated if its women face isolation, UN warns Taliban

Live Mint  

A United Nations delegation has warned the Taliban that Afghanistan would be further isolated if it isolates its women, Afghanistan-based news agency Khaama Press reported. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, the Executive Director of UN Women Sima Bahous, and the Assistant Secretary-General for UN political, peacebuilding, and peace operations Khaled Khiari, were part of the UN delegation visiting Kabul. Deputy …

UN’s top woman in Afghanistan for talks on Taliban crackdown
1 year, 11 months ago

UN’s top woman in Afghanistan for talks on Taliban crackdown

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The highest-ranking woman in the United Nations arrived in Kabul on Tuesday at the head of a delegation promoting the rights of women and girls, a response to the recent crackdown by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, a former Nigerian Cabinet minister and a Muslim, was joined by Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, …

Women's rights not priority, says Taliban month after education ban
1 year, 11 months ago

Women's rights not priority, says Taliban month after education ban

India Today  

The Taliban has said in a statement that overturning restrictions on women is not a priority for the administration in Afghanistan, days after denying there would be a permanent university education ban on women. READ | Afghan women athletes barred from playing sports, fear Taliban threats The Taliban said on Saturday that it would not permit any act that violates …

U.N. calls on Taliban to drop restrictions on women
2 years ago

U.N. calls on Taliban to drop restrictions on women

The Hindu  

The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday decried increasing restrictions on women's rights in Afghanistan, urging the country's Taliban rulers to reverse them immediately. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk pointed to “terrible consequences” of a decision to bar women from working for non-governmental organisations. "These unfathomable restrictions placed on women and girls will not only increase the suffering …

UN official, Taliban minister meet on Afghan women NGO ban
2 years ago

UN official, Taliban minister meet on Afghan women NGO ban

Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan — The top U.N. official in Kabul met with a Taliban government minister in Afghanistan’s capital on Monday, following a decision by the country’s new rulers to bar women from working for non-governmental organizations, the U.N. mission said. The measure — the latest in restrictions on women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan — was announced on Saturday by …

Explained: How Taliban’s move to bar women from NGOs worsens the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
2 years ago

Explained: How Taliban’s move to bar women from NGOs worsens the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

Firstpost  

The latest ban is another signal that the Taliban leadership is determined to reinstitute the hard-line rule that the group maintained during its first stretch in power in the 1990s The Afghan government on Saturday barred women from working in local and international humanitarian organisations, officials said, a move that threatens billions of dollars of aid that has kept Afghanistan …

Discover Related