Five years after Taliban takeover, human rights and humanitarian crises deepen in Afghanistan

Five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, human rights organisations report an escalating crisis characterised by severe restrictions on women's employment, mobility, and public life. Investigations document rising rates of unpunished gender-based violence, exacerbated by the dissolution of official institutions that previously tracked femicides.

The human rights situation unfolds alongside severe economic distress, with approximately 40% of the population in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Despite cross-border tensions, a United Nations relief convoy of over 700 trucks carrying essential supplies recently reached Afghanistan via Pakistan.

Concurrently, rights advocates continue to highlight judicial barriers affecting women in neighbouring Iran, where strict evidentiary rules and capital punishment laws place victims of abuse at risk of execution.

Sources: Diário de Notícias (DN), Expresso, Expresso das Ilhas, Jornal Económico, RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)