Afghan Witness Archives

Gender-Based Violence Women in Activism, Media, and Politics

Mar 7

Bridging the gap: Using OSINT to report on women and girls in Afghanistan

Journalists face immense challenges reporting on women’s rights inside Afghanistan. But newsrooms and researchers are leveraging open source techniques to investigate topics such as gender-based violence – shining a light on a range of underreported issues.

Taliban

Nov 18

Documenting demolitions: the Taliban’s land clearance campaign and its impact on marginalised communities

Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban have initiated a number of infrastructure projects in Kabul. But forced evictions and demolitions have seen ethnic minorities and vulnerable communities bear the brunt.

Policies and Restrictions Women in Activism, Media, and Politics

Sep 12

The power of non-violent resistance

How women of Afghanistan fight the Taliban today

Information environment

Sep 2

Afghanistan’s shrinking information environment

What is the information environment, and what challenges face Afghanistan’s own information space? How can we strengthen it?

Gender-Based Violence Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Women in Activism, Media, and Politics

Aug 14

Afghan Witness report reveals ‘daily occurrence’ of gender-based violence under Taliban rule as women suffer ‘systematic erasure’ from public life

Three years on from the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, women are banned from education, work and most other areas of public life.

Environment

Jun 26

Open source analysis reveals more than 200 mining contracts set up since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan

In September 2023, the Taliban announced that they had signed more than $6.5 billion in new mining deals. CIR’s Afghan Witness project...

Policies and Restrictions Women in Activism, Media, and Politics

Jun 18

1000 Days Of Summer: Imagine a generation of children with illiterate mothers

Over 1,000 days since the Taliban's education ban, Meetra talks us through what that means.

Gender-Based Violence Women in Activism, Media, and Politics

Apr 21

Rising reports of femicide: New digital map documents cases of violence and repression of Afghan women in ‘public’ roles

Female-led newsroom Zan Times used investigative reporting and open source techniques to document killings, disappearances and arrests of Afghan women.

Media

Apr 4

Afghan media outlet Etilaatroz launch fact-checking unit as a result of Afghan Witness partnership

CIR is delighted to announce the launch of a new fact-checking unit by Afghan media outlet, Etilaatroz. The unit, named ‘Sanjah’ – a Dari/Farsi word meaning to measure, check or verify – has been supported by CIR’s Afghan Witness (AW) project.

Policies and Restrictions

Jan 31

Arrests for violating Taliban Hijab rules cause controversy

The Taliban’s reported detentions for non-compliance with hijab rules have received mixed reactions: contradictory claims from Taliban officials, concern from local groups, and condemnation from international community.

ISKP

Jan 30

“Kill them wherever you find them” campaign in Afghanistan

Afghan Witness analysis shows a significant increase in ISKP attacks across Afghanistan following the Islamic State spokesman's...