Five years after the Taliban returned to power, Afghanistan has become one of the world’s most severe human rights crises.
Women and girls have been systematically excluded from education, employment and public life. Girls are banned from attending school beyond Year 6 and women have been excluded from universities. Ethnic and religious minorities continue to face discrimination and persecution, while journalists, activists and human rights defenders have been silenced.
Nearly half of Afghanistan’s population now relies on humanitarian assistance just to survive.
Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, Australia has committed to resettling more than 30,000 refugees from Afghanistan, providing safety and hope to thousands of people who had nowhere else to turn. However, the crisis in Afghanistan has not ended.
Five years on, the human rights situation has continued to deteriorate. Thousands of Afghans who supported democratic institutions, defended human rights, or belong to persecuted communities continue to live in fear.
Australia should not turn its back on the people of Afghanistan simply because the international spotlight has shifted elsewhere.
Call on the Australian Government to recommit to protecting people fleeing persecution in Afghanistan and expand humanitarian protection for Afghan refugees at greatest risk, particularly women, girls, human rights defenders, and persecuted ethnic and religious minorities.
