Topic analysis

Afghanistan's crisis deepens hidden violence against women

Following the Taliban's 2021 return to power in Afghanistan, deepening poverty, sweeping restrictions on women's access to education, work, and public mobility, and weak, discriminatory justice frameworks have led to a surge in underreported domestic and gender-based violence against women, including forced early marriages and femicide. Most cases remain hidden from public record due to social stigma, Taliban media censorship, limited legal recourse for survivors, and informal justice systems that often favor perpetrators.