Gender Persecution In Afghanistan Accountability Working Group (GPWG), together with MADRE, the Human Rights & Gender Justice Clinic at CUNY School of Law, and Afghanistan LGBTIQ+ Organisation (ALO), has released a new report, Risking a Generation of Illiteracy: Afghans’ Struggle for Education and Other Rights in Afghanistan and as Refugees.

The report examines how the Taliban’s continued denial of education to women and girls, combined with barriers faced by Afghan refugees in Iran, Pakistan, and beyond, is creating long-term harm for an entire generation. It highlights the impact of gender persecution, forced displacement, deportation risks, and the failure of states to uphold their human rights and refugee protection obligations.

The report calls for urgent international action to protect Afghan refugees, support access to education, and ensure that women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and other affected communities are centered in accountability and protection efforts.