While the world moves from one breaking news story to the next, the voices and lives of Afghan women are quietly disappearing, cut off from public life, and the futures they deserve. Supporting Afghan women is vital in this moment, and always.

Over the past four years, Afghanistan has only made headlines when it serves a political goal, when danger rises, or when new decrees take more rights away. These brief moments of attention rarely lead to real action, lasting policy change, or support to restore the freedoms that are being eroded.

Too often, international decisions are driven by politics, alliances, or trade, rather than human rights or the rule of law. The struggles of Afghan women become secondary, pushed aside while leaders focus on their own agendas. Headlines flare and fade, but daily restrictions on education, employment, and movement continue, mostly unnoticed. Without consistent pressure, accountability, and a real focus on rights over politics, the loss of freedoms for Afghan women will continue. Gender apartheid becomes the new normal while the world looks away.

Supporting Afghan Women: Digital Spaces Under Siege

The recent nationwide internet shutdown highlights the Taliban’s tightening control over every aspect of life, especially for women. Officially blamed on ‘technical problems,’ it effectively cut off access to education, news, and essential communication. Independent observers see it as a deliberate attempt to silence voices, restrict information, and tighten authority, leaving women increasingly isolated and powerless, underscoring the importance of supporting Afghan women.

In a society where even digital space is now under strict control, Afghan women face yet another barrier to exercising their basic rights. If such disruptions happen again, the consequences could be severe, disabling the economy, obstructing humanitarian coordination, and isolating the entire population from the outside world. For women, who already face restrictions on education, employment, and public presence, another prolonged shutdown would erase one of the last remaining spaces for connection, learning, and participation in Afghan society. Even though the internet is now working again, it is no longer safe. Strict monitoring and control of all digital activity increases the risks for women, further showing the need to support Afghan women.

Shrinking Pathways for Protection

Pathways for asylum and protection are closing, and women’s rights continue to be treated as negotiable, presenting barriers to supporting Afghan women. The UK has already ended its major resettlement and relocation schemes, the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), leaving hundreds of women human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in limbo. Many were never informed that the schemes would end, and now live with uncertainty and fear, unable to apply or reunite with their families.

Read the full article about supporting Afghan women by Maryam Rahmani at Alliance Magazine.