Tag: Afghanistan

Two Years After the Taliban Takeover, an Afghan Girl Is Holding On to Hope: ‘I Am Young, But I Am Everything for My Family’

Last summer, almost one year after the Taliban takeover, I spoke to 17-year-old Farzana about her life in Kabul. Now, two years since the U.S. withdrew their troops, Farzana, 18, feels she has very little to live for.

“It has been two years and the future looks dark. It’s not being alive, and not being dead. We have permission for neither. … I had the hope to be a great athlete and leader in the world—a leader for Afghan women. These are still my hopes and my goals, and even in this hard situation, I am doing my best to get an opportunity to find a university outside of Afghanistan.”

On World Refugee Day, 110 Million People Must Leave Home to Flee Conflict and Persecution

Compounded crises—including conflict, climate and COVID-19—are driving unprecedented levels of human suffering, economic vulnerability and forced displacement. 

Tuesday, June 20, we celebrate World Refugee Day—honoring the strength and bravery of those who have been forced to flee their homes. With the 2023 theme of World Refugee Day, “Hope away from home,” we must question whether we, as humanitarians, are effectively using our resources to create an environment for refugees to become self-sufficient.

Global Authoritarianism, Women’s Rights and the Power of Feminist Organizing

“One thing that we see now, even with all of the challenges of a totalitarian government and of the Taliban dictatorship, is that the people on the frontlines of this fight are the women of Afghanistan. It is incredible that they are coming into the streets to fight for fundamental freedoms. I think this is a big lesson for all of us, even for those in the United States and others in the international community, to see these women now.”

(This essay is part of Women’s Rights and Backsliding Democracies project—a multimedia project made up of essays, video and podcast programming, presented by Ms., NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and Rewire News Group.)

Afghan Women Tell Special Envoys Not to Recognize the Taliban and ‘Refrain From Compromising Our Rights’

In a meeting with some special envoys of a few countries for Afghanistan, Afghan women emphasized that Taliban recognition should not be up for debate and that anything about Afghanistan should be consulted with Afghan women.

Over 60 Afghan women representing diverse advocacy groups and coalitions met with the special envoys from Qatar, United Arab Emirates, the US, Indonesia, Norway and a few others from Europe. The meeting of special envoys for Afghanistan is happening today and tomorrow in Doha, Qatar.

Ms. Global: Drought in Somalia; Afghan Women Face More Restrictions; Burundi Sees Spike in Femicides; the Crackdown on Egypt’s Queer Community

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The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

This week: News from Somalia, Afghanistan, Burundi, Egypt, Germany, and more.

The Taliban’s War on Women Demands Global Attention and Action

The Taliban’s oppression and violence against women in Afghanistan are undeniable atrocities that demand the world’s attention and immediate action.

To achieve meaningful progress towards gender equality in Afghanistan, a comprehensive approach is necessary that addresses not only the specific needs of Afghan women, but also the political and economic factors that contribute to their oppression.