A Guardian feature compiling first-person testimonies from 12 Afghan women across Herat, Balkh, Kabul, Jawzjan, Faryab, Nangarhar, Daykundi, Samangan and northe
Summary
A Guardian feature compiling first-person testimonies from 12 Afghan women across Herat, Balkh, Kabul, Jawzjan, Faryab, Nangarhar, Daykundi, Samangan and northern provinces describes life under Taliban rule. The dominant harm is the systematic denial of education to girls and women — university closures, restrictions on schooling beyond 6th grade, and enforced dress codes with punitive expulsions. Additional specific violations include: two female former soldiers arrested in Herat whose fate remains unknown (enforced disappearance); a 12-year-old's classmates expelled from school for dress code non-compliance; a university student in Nangarhar left without recourse after the Taliban closed universities to women; an undercover journalist operating in constant fear of Taliban surveillance and arrest; and a dental assistant harassed by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue. Women are also subject to severe movement restrictions, mahram requirements, and pervasive economic deprivation.
Where
We record how precisely an event can be placed, because "somewhere in the province" and "this street" are different claims.
Placed to province only. No source names a district, so the entry is recorded at the coarsest honest level rather than implying a precision we do not have.
Legal classification
Each code names the treaty provision the conduct engages, so the assignment can be checked rather than trusted.
Denial of girls' education · primary
CEDAW Art. 10; ICESCR Art. 13; CRC Art. 28
Assigned from the reported conduct and confirmed on review.
Enforced disappearance
ICPPED; ICCPR Art. 9
Assigned from the reported conduct and confirmed on review.
Ethnic / minority persecution
ICCPR Art. 26, 27; CERD
Assigned from the reported conduct and confirmed on review.
Suppression of press / journalists
ICCPR Art. 19; UDHR Art. 19
Assigned from the reported conduct and confirmed on review.
Sexual violence / rape
ICCPR Art. 7; CEDAW; Rome Statute
Assigned from the reported conduct and confirmed on review.
Violence against children
CRC Art. 19, 6
Assigned from the reported conduct and confirmed on review.
Also coded as: Enforced disappearance, Discrimination, Freedom of expression, Gender-based violence, Children's rights
Sources
One report only. Nothing corroborates it yet, which is why this entry is graded single-source rather than confirmed.
How this entry was made
Automated collection finds candidate events. It never publishes one. A researcher accepted this entry and is accountable for it.
Cite this entry
Quote the identifier and the grade. A grade can change if new sourcing arrives, so include your retrieval date.
Afghanistan Human Rights Center, “A Guardian feature compiling first-person testimonies from 12 Afghan women across Herat, Balkh, Kabul, Jawzjan, Faryab, Nangarhar, Daykundi, Samangan and northe”, entry AHRC-2021-0815-HER-01, grade: Confirmed, 2021-08-15. Retrieved 3 October 2026.