Zahra Joya on Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

As a journalist reporting on Afghan women’s rights, Zahra Joya was forced to flee Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Through her platform Rukhshana Media, Joya is now determined to give a voice to the women of Afghanistan.

With Afghanistan becoming increasingly less accessible to the international media, Afghan women’s stories are rarely covered. As a result, Afghan women’s voices are not only silenced at home, but overlooked by the rest of the world too. Tonight, journalist and Time Woman of the Year Zahra Joya will outline the current situation in Afghanistan and the role of female reporters. How do you secure their safety while at the same time make sure their stories are heard?

Last January, the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for the supreme leader of the Taliban and the chief justice of Afghanistan, on the grounds that their persecution of women is a crime against humanity. What sign does this give for the future? And what is the responsibility of the international community?