Afghanistan

Water scarcity is an increasingly troubling issue across Afghanistan, especially for women and girls. © Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Afghan Women Bear Brunt of Drought Burden

Looming crisis weighs heavy on those most often responsible for sourcing water to meet their household’s needs.

10 Oct 24

International summit on women’s rights in Afghanistan saw more than 120 activists, journalists, and artists gather in the Albanian capital Tirana for three days of intense discussion and debate. © Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania

Divisions Emerge Within Afghan Women’s Rights Movement

Issue of direct negotiations with the Taleban proves contentious point among campaigners.

3 Oct 24

Exiled Afghan journalists continue to face major difficulties in continuing their work, despite huge efforts by diaspora media outlets to ensure reporting from within the country continues. © Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

Afghan Journalists in Exile: “Like Swimming in a Swamp”

Reporters working in the diaspora face major challenges, despite huge efforts to ensure reporting from within the country continues.

16 Aug 24

Women cover their faces when walking down a street on August 14, 2022 in Kabul, Afghanistan. © Nava Jamshidi/Getty Images

Afghanistan: Weaponising Sexual Harassment

The lack of legal protection under the Taleban means that harassment and discrimination are effectively forcing women out of the workplace.

23 Jul 24

The Taleban’s Deadly Toll on Women Midwives and Doctors

Medical personnel struggle to do their jobs - and patients suffer - under increasingly draconian rules.  

14 Jun 24

In this picture taken on September 8, 2021, Afghan newspaper Etilaat Roz journalists Nematullah Naqdi (R) and Taqi Daryabi sit in their office after being released from Taliban custody in Kabul. - Two Afghan journalists have shown off ugly welts and bruises after being beaten and detained for hours by Taliban fighters for covering a protest in the Afghan capital. © WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

Afghanistan: Journalism Amid the Darkness

Despite brutal repression, independent outlets continue to provide a rare and precious source of information.

1 May 24

Women cover their faces when walking down a street on August 14, 2022 in Kabul, Afghanistan. After the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021 the female population have had to quit jobs and young girls after the age of 12 can no longer go to school or complete further education. © Nava Jamshidi/Getty Images

Afghanistan: “I Have Learned to Never Give Up”

What helps me keep going is my belief in our mission to empower women journalists to report on what is happening under the Taleban.

8 Mar 24

Reporters for Tolo News cover their faces as they attend an editorial meeting at Tolo TV station in Kabul on May 22, 2022. © WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

The Afghan Women Journalists Defying the Taleban

Against all odds and despite constant danger, a brave few continue to report.

8 Mar 24

After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 the female population have had to quit jobs and young girls after the age of 12 can no longer go to school or complete further education. Most art, culture and pastimes have also been banned. © Nava Jamshidi/Getty Images

Afghanistan: “I Don’t Want to Live. I Want to Die”

Two decades of efforts to protect women and girls has been systematically dismantled.

6 Mar 24

A delegation of Afghanistan's ministry of economic development checked the development of the Qosh Tepa, an irrigation canal, which will direct the water from the Amu Darya river to the country's arid northern region. The conduit however will reduce the supply for downstream Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which rely heavily on the river. © Afghanistan's deputy minister of economic development

Water Conflicts Loom in Central Asia

An ambitious infrastructure project in Afghanistan risks exacerbating scarcities in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

4 Aug 23

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