Selling possessions and burning garbage: How women struggle to feed their...
Her eyes burn and her throat chokes from the smoke generated by ovens burning plastic and trash. Mahbouba coughs repeatedly as she shares her life of hardship. Every day, she bakes bread in the oven...
View ArticleOnline commerce in Afghanistan: How women eke out a living
Maryam sits behind her desk in a small room in Kabul, staring at her phone. Selling hygiene and cosmetic products online has been her only source of income for the past eight months. Before the...
View ArticleWomen find new paths from home to entrepreneurship
Amena was a midwife in one of Afghanistan’s central provinces before the Taliban took power. Earning a salary of 13,000 afghani a month, she had a decent life. But Amena lost her job and stayed home...
View ArticleAn epidemic of suicidal thoughts among school-age girls
Early one morning in May this year, Shafiqa noticed a note in her daughter’s room. In bold blue letters, her daughter, 16-year-old Lima, had written: “My mother and sisters, forgive me. I couldn’t...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Inside the Taliban’s demolition campaign in Kabul
Maryam’s in-laws had owned their home in Kabul’s Khair Khana neighbourhood for the last five decades when the Taliban-run municipality told them it was time to leave. In 2023, the Kabul municipality...
View ArticleUnemployment intensifies domestic violence against women
Bruises and marks still can be seen on Shazia’s arms, neck, hands, and legs. She points to a deep wound inflicted by her husband two weeks ago. “I was sweeping the yard when my husband, frustrated by...
View ArticleWomen arrested by Taliban for begging report rape and forced labour
Over the past few months, multiple women say they have been targeted by Taliban officials and detained under anti-begging laws passed this year. While in prison, they claim they were subjected to...
View ArticlePainting in secret to defy the Taliban
Shabnam once preferred to use vibrant colours in her paintings. Today, the palette of the 20-year-old artist from Kandahar has shifted to muted tones dominated by blues, whites, and blacks. In one of...
View ArticleAfghan women journalists stranded in Iran: No shelter, no escape
In November 2023, Razia was working for an online media outlet in Afghanistan when produced a video about the challenges women face in western Kabul. The Taliban summoned her to the intelligence...
View ArticleDeportation and unemployment haunt former Afghan military women in Iran
Maryam fled to Iran in February 2022 due to security threats from the Taliban. Since then, the 30-year-old former employee of Afghanistan’s security forces has endured numerous hardships as a refugee....
View Article