Violence against women in Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mali and other countries

Women, female students and gitls represent 50% of the 8.4 billion Humans on earth, oe about 4.2 billions. Though they have access to education or higher education in China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Oceania, Europe & North America, they are far behind in education or civil rights in many other countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria or Mali where millions of them are being violented,  outraged, excised or deprived from education.

Out of many cases, here are a few that merit your support

* Afghanistan, where 19m of them are imprisoned at home or under dark robes by uneducated & violent talibans

* Iran, where Mahsa AMINI & thousands of women aged 11 to 72 have been killed, tortured, violated since 1979, especially since 2022 & the Movement ‘Woman, Life, Freedom

‘* Nigeria, where Boko Haram has attacked, killed, detained or violated hundreds of yound women in schools, simply because they were studying…

* Mali, the only French speaking country in Africa, where 89% of girls and women are being excised every day & wgere the law has still not forbidden it…

Focus : Violence against women and girls in Afghanistan, 2021-2026

Thousands of young girls, female teenagers, female students and women are being beaten, scared, outraged or killed since August 2021, when the Taliban regime went back to Kabul. Here are 2 of the articles I used to write this article

• Courrier International, CI N°1868, du 20 au 26/8/2026, page 22 ‘Afghanistan. Cinq ans de féminicides étouffés’
• Theguardian.org, 7th August 2026 :  www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/aug/07/afghanistan-women-taliban-violence-battered-beaten

Violence against women in Afghanistan has escalated significantly since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, because of Trump & Biden abandoning the Afghan population & taking away the last American troops in the country.

This is a significant setback for democracy, following 11th September 2001 terrorist attacks (19 Saudi terrorists hijacking 4 civil planes) vs the Twin Towers, New York (American Trade Center 110-storey towers fell within hours), Pentagon & Flight 93, crashed in Shanksville, Pa, killing more than 3,000 in the USA and the throwing out of the Talibans in 2001 by the US. Coalition and troops, including Britain, France, Canada, Australia, Japan and other allies and a 20-year experience (2001-2021) of democracy, education, music and NGOs permitting the Afghani population to open up to the world and educate millions.

Back to Dark Ages

This Taliban institutionalized violence against women is characterized by widespread femicide, targeted assassinations of activists, and a culture of impunity. 

Documented Femicide and Domestic Violence 

An investigation by Zan Times journalists documented 231 violent deaths of women and girls across 10 provinces in the first few years of Taliban rule, with many more cases likely unreported.  Key findings include:

• 53 cases were officially recorded as ‘suicides’ despite evidence of violence and murder, a designation that typically ensures no accountability for perpetrators. 
• 165 victims (71%), aged 6 to 65, were homemakers with no independent income, highlighting the vulnerability of women lacking economic power. Indeed, any girl aged 6 may be forced to marry husbands aged 50 to 70. Worse, over 4m young girls and female students have been thrown out of schools, forbidden to learn or study since August 2021.
• Arrests were made in only 58 cases, and many suspects were released immediately or within 24 hours, reinforcing a system of impunity. 
• High-profile cases include the murders of Liza Shams and Freshta Imadi, where medical evidence of beatings and huge violence was ignored in favor of suicide or poisoning narratives. 

Targeted Killings of Women and Activists 

Beyond domestic violence, women in public roles face lethal threats:

• Frozan Safi, a women’s rights activist and lecturer, was shot dead in Mazar-i-Sharif in November 2021, becoming one of the first known female rights defenders killed after the takeover. 
• Mursal Nabizada, a former Member of Parliament, was assassinated in her home in Kabul in January 2023; she was one of the few female lawmakers who remained in the country. 
• Lailuma, a women’s entrepreneur and activist in Badakhshan, was shot dead in May 2026, an event that terrified other women working in small businesses. 
• The Centre of Information Resilience’s Afghan Witness project recorded over 300 reported cases of femicide and identified Taliban officials as responsible for more than half of reported gender-based violence incidents. 

Systemic Erasure and Broader Context 

The violence is part of a broader campaign to erase women presence and rights from public life:

• The attorney general’s office, which previously collated data on violence against women, was abolished in 2023. Public data are then no more accessible. As if women had no importance at all, ie 50% of Afghan population ignored. 
• Women face restrictions on clothing, movement, education, health access and work, where many are forced into hiding or facing harassment from both state actors and private individuals. No woman is anymore authorised to go to court, be that mothers or grandmothers for their daughters or grand-daughters assassinated.
• Incidents such as the 2022 suicide bombing at a learning center in Kabul, which killed 53, mostly female Hazara students, illustrate the lethal risks facing women attempting to access education. 

François P. VALLET, former Oxford student, ESCP Europe