As dozens of families are forcibly deported from Pakistan to Afghanistan every day, concerns are growing over the safety and rights of women and girls under Taliban rule upon their return. The Malala Fund, led by education activist Malala Yousafzai, has called on Pakistan to halt this process immediately.
In a statement, the Malala Fund expressed deep concern over the continued deportation of girls, teachers, and women’s rights defenders to a country where their rights are being systematically denied and violated.
The statement noted that the mass deportation of Afghan refugees constitutes a violation of international law and places the lives of thousands under Taliban control at immediate risk.
Sehar Halimzai, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Malala Fund, criticized Pakistan’s policy, stating that returning women and girls to a country where they have been erased from public life is “indefensible and unlawful.”
Since the Taliban’s return to power, many former government employees, military personnel, human rights and civil society activists, journalists, women protesters, and gender equality advocates have fled to neighboring countries, including Pakistan.
Now, Pakistan has launched the second phase of its forced deportation campaign, targeting Afghan refugees with Afghan Citizen Cards.
Meanwhile, those being deported are returning to a country where women and girls are deprived of even their most basic rights, including the right to education, employment, and freedom of movement.
