Reporting, analysis, documentation and independent voices focused on the rights, safety, equality and civic freedom of women and girls, with particular attention to Iran, Afghanistan and the wider region.
Latest reporting
Twenty-four selected reports from approved English-language news and human-rights sources. News images are taken from the original publisher pages.
Reuters profiles Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi, who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power and now hopes her career can inspire Afghan girls.
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Afghan families returning from Iran face poverty and renewed restrictions on women and girls under Taliban rule.
Read original report →Human Rights Watch and partner organizations call for renewal of the UN Special Rapporteur mandate and continued dedicated reporting on women and girls.
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Amnesty International says its investigation maps command structures behind abuses committed during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising.
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CHRI marks the fourth anniversary of Jina Mahsa Amini’s death with a review of continuing repression, arrests, executions and accountability concerns.
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Women describe fear, freedom, grief and solidarity surrounding their first experiences appearing in public without the mandatory headscarf.
Read original report →An interactive special report retraces the uprising, what was lost, and the social changes that endured.
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Analysis of generational change after 2022 and the persistence of public resistance to compulsory hijab.
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Sources describe increasingly invasive body searches of female political prisoners at Evin Prison.
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The UN Special Rapporteur on Iran says the movement remains alive despite renewed crackdowns and mandatory-hijab enforcement.
Read original report →HRANA reports that at least eight imprisoned women are facing death sentences in cases involving political, security-related and protest charges.
Read original report →Iran Human Rights reports the execution of Fatemeh Jahangard and two men in Mashhad Central Prison.
Read original report →Iran Human Rights says six women were among at least 82 people executed in August 2026.
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Human Rights Watch documents a continuing execution campaign against protesters and warns that women and other detainees remain at imminent risk.
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Human Rights Watch urges international action as restrictions on women and girls deepen and accountability mechanisms remain essential.
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Amnesty explains its call for international accountability for killings, torture, sexual violence and persecution linked to the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising.
Read original report →Amnesty publishes documentation on 377 protesters and bystanders whose deaths it investigated in connection with the 2022 uprising.
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Ten labor and civil-society groups reaffirm demands for freedom, equality, economic security and an end to repression and executions.
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A Harvard Kennedy School panel examines gender-based oppression, mass killings and prison abuses in Iran.
Read original report →Even when everything seems closed, hope can still open a path to freedom.
A hand reaching out to help can break a chain and bring light back into a life.
When freedom is taken away, hope may be all that remains.
Your support can restore human dignity, break isolation, and rekindle hope for freedom.
A UN special-procedures communication addresses alleged arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture and violence against women and girls in Iran.
Read original report →Iran Human Rights reports that Zahra Azizpour became the eighteenth woman whose execution it recorded in Iran in 2026.
Read original report →Iran Human Rights says the execution of Parvin Chardoli brought its documented total of women executed since 2010 to 300.
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Videos from a women’s road race in Tehran showed several participants running without headscarves in a public display of resistance to compulsory hijab.
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A new compulsory-hijab directive for universities is being prepared as pressure grows for stricter enforcement.
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Original commentary and analysis published by the Global Human Rights Network.
An argument against identity-based frameworks that, in the author’s view, can obscure class, economic and pluralistic realities across the region.
A commentary on generational change, underground education, digital organizing and women-led resistance across Iran, Afghanistan and neighboring societies.
An editorial examining the gap between international human-rights rhetoric and the lived realities of women in Iran and Afghanistan.
A critical analysis of how women’s rights can become entangled with international power politics, sanctions and geopolitical bargaining.
GHRNetwork video
Thirteen videos are loaded automatically from the GHRNetwork Women’s Rights YouTube playlist. Titles and available descriptions come from the playlist feed, and the visible selection rotates automatically every 24 hours without hard-coded video IDs.
VICE News gains exclusive access inside Iran, to find out what's happened in the country since Mahsa Amini's death. Since Iranian women led a nationwide uprising, Iran's security forces have cracked down with brute force. Isobel Yeung meets those brave enough to speak out and meets the authorities in charge. Help keep VICE News’ fearless reporting free for millions by making a one-time or ongoing contribution here. - https://vice.com/contribute Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vicenews?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicenews Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicenews Instagram: http://instagram.com/vicenews More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo #VICENews #News
Dec 23, 2023
Sep 22, 2024
Three years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan a new law has been passed compelling women to cover their face and body completely when leaving their homes. The latest restrictions also state that women’s voices must no longer be heard in public. They are the latest in a series of draconian restrictions imposed on women by the country’s Taliban rulers. There’s been international outrage. The US and EU are among those condemning the new laws but they have little influence over Afghanistan’s religious leaders. Despite the risks some women in Afghanistan have spoken out, giving interviews to BBC News. Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Yogita Limaye inside Afghanistan. Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #BBCNews
Sep 9, 2024
People, today, we are in Iran. The 1979 Islamic Revolution turned Iran into one of the most conservative countries in the world. The state has a full control of everything its citizens can or cannot do, especially women. They can’t be seen in public with their heads uncovered, they can’t wear T-shirts, they can’t ride motorbikes, and so on. They face restrictions every step of the way. For over 40 years now, Iran has been living under severe sanctions. All major international corporations stopped operating in the country – just like many severed ties with Russia recently. But the most recent wave of protests has put things into motion, and things started to change. Today, we will tell you how people live in Tehran. This is "The People" project with Alexandra Sabynina. This is not just a travel channel. This is a collection of documentaries about the lives of people in different parts of our planet. Here you will not see beautiful staged images. This channel is about something else. About reality, honest and sometimes frightening. 📽️ MORE CONTENT 🎬 https://youtu.be/yq3UCiDHuv0 https://youtu.be/pKRIg-RhID0 https://youtu.be/t1EvwZQuwuw 💰SUPPORT ME If you wish to support the project we’ll appreciate your donation: 💥Donate 5$: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/billing/plans/subscribe?plan_id=P-9YD00134G9942772RMNZ43WY 💥Donate 10$: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/billing/plans/subscribe?plan_id=P-3DE11542Y38196926MNZ437I 💥Donate 15$: https://www.paypal.com/webapps/billing/plans/subscribe?plan_id=P-93053068DH9648513MNZ44FI 💰If you want to help a project, pls follow me on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_people Subscribe to see what will be the next https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCStGslsoc9pr89XnmwnsYWw #lyadov #antonishere #thepeople #iran
Jun 22, 2024
Get Nebula with 50% off annual subscription with my link: https://go.nebula.tv/realtimehistory Watch History's Most Daring Raids on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/realtimehistory/historys-most-daring-raids By 1994, Afghanistan has been at war for more than 15 years. The Islamist mujahadeen factions that defeated them are divided by religious and ethnic rivalries. And in the midst of the chaos, a new faction that will change the course of the war rises to prominence in 1994: the Taliban. » SUPPORT US https://patreon.com/realtimehistory https://nebula.tv/realtimehistory » THANK YOU TO OUR CO-PRODUCERS Mike Gloudemans, George Durrett, Luis Gonzalez, Mike Cumings, Jr., Charles Shananaquet II, Joel Sanchez, shane cawthon, Andrew Thomas Mooney, Chris Rohde, Bruce D, Jim Frame, Glenn Sugden, Lisa Anderson, George Haramundanis, G S, Kempf Mario, jhgBo8jigr hzufjkl, Gayle Elizabeth, Glenn G Webb, Stephen D Nugent PsyD, Daniel L Garza, Chris Daley, Simen Røste, Amy Williams, Jim F Barlow, Taylor Allen, Adam Smith, Josh Bruder, Konstantin Bredyuk, Richard L Benkin, Matt, Rob Carle, Murray Godfrey, Jan, Gage Manthey, Theodore Patrick Shannon, Bruce G. Hearns, Stephanie Schindhelm, Paul Wilcox, Brad Durbin, Fogeltje, » SOURCES Coll, Steve. "Ghost Wars: The secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001" Penguin, 2004 Collins, Joseph J. “Understanding War in Afghanistan” National Defense University Press, 2011. Gall, Sandy. “Afghan Napoleon: The Life of Ahmad Shah Massoud” Haus Publishing, 2021. Jalali, Ali Ahmad. "A military history of Afghanistan: from the Great Game to the Global War on Terror" University Press of Kansas, 2017. Maley, William. “The Afghanistan Wars – Third Edition” Red Globe Press, 2021. Kaplan, Robert D. “Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan” Vintage Books, 2001. Rashid, Ahmed. „Taliban: The Power of Militant Islam in Afghanistan and Beyond” I.B Tauris, 2010 Tomsen, Peter. “The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers” PublicAffairs, 2011. »CREDITS Presented by: Jesse Alexander Written by: Jesse Alexander Director: Toni Steller Editing: Toni Steller Motion Design: Matej Procházka, Toni Steller Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: http://above-zero.com Research by: Florian Wittig Fact checking: Florian Wittig Executive Producer: Florian Wittig Channel Design: Simon Buckmaster Contains licensed material by getty images, picture alliance, and Reuters Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3 Music Library: Epidemic Sound All photos and film in our documentaries are authentic historical footage. We do not use generative AI to create new assets. However, we may use AI tools to upscale or clean up certain assets without distorting or compromising the original image. All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2026
Aug 7, 2026
Download SAILY in your app store and use our code "carrie" at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/carrie. To support the flood victims in Nuristan please donate to Revive Afghanistan: https://reviveafghanistan.org/Campaigns/emergency-flood-relief-in-afghanistan-2/ I Travelled to the Most Remote Region of Afghanistan (And Was Shocked) 🇦🇫 I recently embarked on a 12-hour journey deep into Nuristan, one of the most remote and isolated regions in Afghanistan. What I found was breathtaking beauty, extraordinary kindness, and a community living in a way few outsiders ever see. In this film, I travel from Jalalabad through treacherous mountain passes and Taliban checkpoints to reach the town of Parun. I experienced local hospitality at the Spogmai Hotel, shared meals with the community, witnessed traditional Nuristani archery, and met the resilient people who call these mountains home. However, just weeks after I left, devastating floods tore through the valley, claiming lives and destroying many of the places you see in this video, including the hotel where I stayed. This video is dedicated to the people of Nuristan. How You Can Help: If you would like to support the relief and rebuilding efforts for those impacted by the recent floods, please consider donating to Revive Afghanistan: [Link to Charity] In this video: The 12-hour road trip from Jalalabad to Nuristan Navigating mountain tracks and checkpoints Life inside a remote Afghan mountain hotel Traditional Nuristani food, culture, and sports (Archery) Distributing winter coats from London to local children Footage of the devastating flood aftermath in Parun If you want to see more of my journey through Afghanistan and the stories of the people I met, please subscribe to the channel. #Afghanistan #Travel #Nuristan #Documentary #HumanitarianAid #RemoteTravel #afghanculture 00:35 Leaving Jalalabad for Nuristan by road 1:08 Market near Jalalabad to buy bread and melons for breakfast 1:54 The best breakfast view in Afghanistan 2:23 Egg wars in afghanstan 3:32 What is a Taliban checkpoint like? 4:55 Going off road towards Nuristan, Taliban guard joins us 5:48 An explosion in the road in Afghanistan 6:36 Travel advice for Afghanistan including best esim 7:53 The first city in Nuristan 9:48 Arriving in Parun, Nuristan 10:13 Spogmai hotel tour before flood, Parun, Nuristan 12:18 Dinner in Parun, Nuristan 14:36 Floods devastation in the Spogmai hotel in Parun 16:46 Walking along Parun high street before the floods 17:12 Afghans and energy drink love 18:20 Royal restaurant serving chicken kebabs in Parun, Nuristan 19:55 Redhead Afghans in Afghanistan 21:33 Meeting a blonde haired boy in Nuristan 23:12 Dangerous bridge crossing in Nuristan, Afghanistan 25:20 Archery in Nuristam, Afghanistan 27:14 Rock spinning dizzy game in Afghanistan 28:10 Afghan food walnut dessert and break in Afghanistan 30:19 Visiting a classic old Nuristan village in Afghanistan 31:48 Donating coats to Afghans in Nuristan, Afghanistan 🔔Don't miss out on exploring offbeat locations with Carrie! Subscribe for unique travel experiences, cultural insights, inspiring travel stories, and exciting traveling vlogs. https://www.youtube.com/@carriepatsalis/?sub_confirmation=1 🔗 Stay Connected With Me. 👉Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalllama 👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrie_patsalis/ 👉Threads: https://www.threads.net/@carrie_patsalis 👉Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carriepatsalis?_t=8mLP7eGqzlg&_r=1 📩 For Business Inquiries: carrie@madcatmedia.co.uk ============================= 🎬 Recommended Playlists 👉 Afghanistan 🇦🇫 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMb-H_76JNYud2vDBN5gkqzOGsu4qw3tz 👉 Syria 🇸🇾 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMb-H_76JNYt5VYmpwlc5hfC9js8-d0M5 ============================= ✅ About Carrie Patsalis. Welcome to my channel, Carrie Patsalis! I am Carrie, a Brit who likes to travel—a lot. I've visited places from Bolivia to Bangladesh, Mongolia to Morocco, Pakistan to Portugal. I also run a digital production company in London. For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: carrie@madcatmedia.co.uk ================================= ⚠️Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of watching any of my publications. You acknowledge that you use the information I provide at your own risk. Do your research. Copyright Notice: This video and my YouTube channel contain dialogue, music, and images that are the property of Carrie Patsalis. You are authorized to share the video link and channel and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to my YouTube channel is provided. © Carrie Patsalis
Aug 3, 2026
Rahaf al-Qunun, the Saudi woman who managed to successfully flee her allegedly abusive family, has shed new light on the countless women trapped under the abusive male guardianship system in Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch said today. Women face systematic discrimination and are left exposed to domestic violence under the male guardianship system and have few places to turn when they face abuse, leading some women to undertake dangerous escape attempts to flee the country. Under the male guardianship system, a man controls a Saudi woman’s life from her birth until her death. Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian, normally a father or husband, but in some cases a brother or even a son, who has the power to make a range of critical decisions on her behalf. The Saudi state essentially treats women as permanent legal minors. Saudi Arabia has done very little to end the system, which remains the most significant impediment to women’s rights in the country.
Jan 30, 2019
Sixty years ago, women in Iran could wear miniskirts. Today, they are punished for showing their hair. How did Iran get here? Here's a brief history of women's rights in Iran. Subscribe to Brut America: https://bit.ly/BrutAmericaYT 📲Watch the newest Brut videos on our mobile apps: ▶︎https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brut/id1401241655 ▶︎https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=media.brut.brut #brut #brutamerica #iran Discover More Brut: ▶︎ https://brut.media/us ▶︎ FB: https://facebook.com/brutamerica ▶︎ IG: https://instagram.com/brutamerica ▶︎ TW: https://twitter.com/brutamerica
Oct 17, 2022
In this clip, Charlie Kirk debates a female audience member during a Turning Point USA Q&A about women’s rights and dress codes in the Middle East. Kirk questions whether her T-shirt and jeans would be acceptable in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Iran, arguing that her outfit would be considered too provocative in some of those societies. The woman pushes back, saying religious diversity and cultural differences make his claims too broad. She accuses Kirk of being Islamophobic, while he responds that he is pointing to what he sees as factual restrictions placed on women in certain Islamic countries. The exchange becomes a tense debate over religion, women’s freedoms, and cultural values, with both sides strongly defending their views.
May 20, 2026
Many women across the Middle East and North Africa are not free to go where they want. A new report from Human Rights Watch looks at 20 countries where women's movement is restricted. In some countries, women need their husband's permission to get a passport, or to travel with her own children, in others even leaving the home requires the a man's consent. In Yemen, authorities don't allow women to travel abroad without a man. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/deutschewelleenglish?sub_confirmation=1 For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/ Follow DW on social media: ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews ►Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dwnews_hangout Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: https://www.youtube.com/dwdeutsch #womensrights #MiddleEast #hrw
Jul 18, 2023
Laws and policies that discriminate against women interfere with Iranian women’s right to work. Women confront an array of restrictions, such as on their ability to travel, prohibitions on entering certain jobs, and an absence of basic legal protections. Over the past four decades, Iranian women have become half of the country’s university graduates. But, based on the most recent official statistics available, for the period between March 2016 and March 2017, only 14.9 percent of Iran’s women are in the workforce, compared with 64.1 percent of men. This rate is lower than the average of 20 percent for all women in the Middle East and North Africa. The unemployment rate for women, currently 20.7 percent, is double that for men. Animation by: ANIMADOCS - www.animadocs.com
May 24, 2017
Women in the Middle East represent an extremely diverse group of individuals. However, popular media and news coverage often presents a narrow view of women in the region. This 6-minute video introduces the stories of three different Middle Eastern women to highlight the diversity of women's experiences in the region. Interested in teaching this history? Download the Teacher's Guide and Student Viewing Guide here: http://ncmideast.org/middle-east-expl.... The Middle East Explained series is a project of the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies (http://ncmideast.org).
Dec 19, 2018
Nazanin Afshin-Jam Mackay, an Iranian-Canadian human rights activist, says ‘women will feel like they can finally breathe again’ if Iran’s regime changes. Subscribe to CTV News to watch more videos: https://www.youtube.com/ctvnews Connect with CTV News: For live updates and latest headlines visit: http://www.ctvnews.ca/ For breaking news, fast, download the CTV News App: https://www.ctvnews.ca/app Must-watch stories and full programs at http://www.ctvnews.ca/video CTV News on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/CTV-News CTV News on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/CTVNews CTV News on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/CTVNEWS CTV News on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/ctv-news --- CTV News is Canada's most-watched news organization both locally and nationally, and has a network of national, international, and local news operations. #ctvnews #ctvnationalnews #canadiannews
Mar 2, 2026
