Thirst and inequality: How Afghanistan’s water crisis affects women
World Water Day is one of the United Nations’ international observances dedicated to highlighting the importance of freshwater. Since 1993, it has been observed on March 22 and is designed to draw attention to the…
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There’s a War on Women in Afghanistan.
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- A personal note from the Editor-in-Chief
- Links to our latest stories from the frontlines
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Reports
Afghan women crushed further by the Taliban’s intensified hijab crackdown
This story is published in collaboration with Himal Southasian, a regional magazine of politics and culture. By 8 am on a Wednesday morning in January, the 18-year-old Quran teacher in…
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Afghan women: The largest imprisoned population in the world
This year marks the fourth International Women’s Day in which the Taliban have imprisoned Afghan women and girls inside their…
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March 8, 2026: Afghan women’s agency and the test of international law
International Women’s Day is often framed as celebration. In reality, March 8 is a reminder that rights are never permanently secured. They are defended across generations, and they can be…
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Interviews
Standing against the darkness: Jhulia Parsi’s account of two and a half years of street protest
Julia Parsi was among the first women activists who took to the streets after the fall of Kabul to protest the Taliban’s anti-women policies. For two-and-a-half years, she continued her…
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Narrative
Letter from a Zan Times journalist, recipient of the IWMF courage in journalism award
I am a girl who was born and lives in a very conservative and traditional province of Afghanistan. In this province, even during the past 20 years, women rarely had…
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Arts & Culture
A life as wide as the courtyard: A review of ‘Let Me Write to You’
The story Let Me Write to You by Nahid Mehregan takes place in the city of Herat during the first Taliban rule. The novel narrates the lives of several women…
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