Author | Lightnews

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 15h

When girls are denied education we all lose. Progress stalls, equality fades, hope diminishes.

The Education Defenders Network's paper calls for concrete global action to confront gender apartheid, pursue justice & hold those responsible to account.

🔗 educationdefenders.net/position-pap...

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 1d

📢 Help spread the word about free online courses!

Our Darakht-e Danesh Courses platform offers more than 20 free, self-paced courses in Dari, Pashto, and English.

Make a difference by sharing the DD Courses platform with your network.
🔗 darakhtdanesh.org/ddc/

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 3d

Join our Peterborough Chapter for stories and connection in support of Afghan women and girls.

Hear from young women who’ve journeyed from Afghanistan to Peterborough, with videos, refreshments, a silent auction & handcrafted Afghan art.

🔗 righttolearn.ca/event/peterborough-chapter-videos-and-talk

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 6d

Right to Learn Youth Advocate, Muska Ehsan, recently represented Afghan women and girls at the Headway Institute Youth Fellowship Program in Oxford, joining 180 young leaders from around the world.

We’re proud of Muska for amplifying the voices of Afghan women on a global stage.

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 7d

While Afghan women testified for justice in Madrid, the Taliban were being received as diplomats in India. The contrast could not be more stark—a reminder that silence and normalization enable injustice.

Read the full blog post by Zahra Nader on our website: righttolearn.ca/when-democra...

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 7d

In Madrid, 24 Afghan women stood before an international tribunal to demand justice.

They shared stories of imprisonment, exclusion, and the daily reality of gender apartheid.

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 10d

At the People’s Tribunal in Madrid, Afghan women demanded justice for the gender apartheid under Taliban rule.

Survivors spoke of closed schools, silenced voices, and unbroken courage—calling on the world to listen and act.

Read more from @zantimes.bsky.social 🔗 zantimes.com/2025/10/08/p...

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 13d

We are seeking passionate volunteers across Canada!

Interested in leading local, in-person activities or initiatives? We’re looking for leaders in:
📍 London, ON
📍 Atlantic provinces (NS, NB, PEI, NL)

If you care about education, gender equality & change for Afghan women & girls, reach out!

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 14d

The UN Human Rights Council has taken an important step toward justice in Afghanistan.

A new independent body will investigate serious abuses, including crimes against women and girls, bringing renewed hope for truth and accountability.

Learn more from @hrw.org
🔗 hrw.org/news/2025/10...

UN Rights Council Creates Afghanistan Accountability Body

The United Nations Human Rights Council on October 6, 2025, adopted a landmark resolution creating an independent mechanism to investigate past and ongoing rights abuses in Afghanistan.

hrw.org

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 19d

On #DayOfTheGirl, we celebrate girls creating change worldwide.

Like Right to Learn Youth Advocate Muhaddisa Sarwari! Once a refugee student herself, she helped raise funds to keep the Refugee Learning Center in Indonesia open so more girls can continue learning and creating change.

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 20d

Education and mental wellbeing go hand in hand 💚

Fatima, our Mental Health & Wellness Coach, helps Afghan students navigate academic + emotional challenges with care and hope.

For #WorldMentalHealthDay, she hosted a joyful online session for 120+ students — creating space for connection + healing.

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 21d

Meet Homa, a 25-year-old Afghan teacher who turned uncertainty into confidence through Right to Learn’s online high school, supported by #GlobalAffairsCanada.

Her story shows how investing in teachers changes lives.

➡️ righttolearn.ca/learning-to-...

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 23d

Among them is Ms. Marwa*, an English teacher who goes above and beyond — teaching with care and offering extra support to her students.

💌 Share your gratitude for our amazing educators below or email [email protected] and we’ll pass your messages along.

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · 23d

Today, we recognize the tireless educators of Right to Learn’s Darakht-e Danesh Classroom — changemakers inspiring Afghan girls amid unbelievable challenges.

This #WorldTeachersDay, we celebrated their resilience with a special event featuring Manizha Bakhtari.

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 25

The Canadian International Council in Ottawa invites you to attend a reception & conversation with Catherine Lang, author of Embedded on Oct 3 (5:30–7:30pm).

🎟️ Tickets $25 — space is limited! Register here: righttolearn.ca/event/meet-the-author-catherine-lang-in-ottawa/

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 23

We are grateful to work with passionate youth advocates around the world including Muzhda Akbari!

Muzhda does incredible work, and we are humbled to be just one small part of her wider efforts and advocacy.

🎧 Listen to her full interview with CBC Fresh Air here:
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

www.cbc.ca

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 19

“This will give people the false idea that women don’t write books, or that women’s ideas are not worth consulting," said Lauryn Oates to the Times.

Read the full article “Taliban Bans Books by Women in Afghanistan’s Universities” at
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/w...

Taliban Bans Books by Women in Afghanistan’s Universities

www.nytimes.com

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 19

Dr. Lauryn Oates of Right to Learn spoke with @nytimes.com this morning about the Taliban's ban of women-authored books in universities.

This latest move highlights a larger system of gender apartheid where women are intentionally erased from society and their voices silenced.

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 19

Without pressure, the Taliban will continue to be enabled by the international community in their perpetration of gender apartheid, and at a devastating human cost.

More:
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Taliban ban books written by women from Afghan universities

The decree also outlaws the teaching of 18 subjects, including human rights and sexual harassment.

www.bbc.com

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 19

Global leaders must act NOW and
· commit to non-recognition of the Taliban
· globally impose sanctions
· classify the Taliban’s actions as gender apartheid under international law.

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 19

The Taliban have removed books by women authors from the university curriculum.

This latest attack on academic freedom and knowledge aims to further erase women from Afghanistan’s culture, history, and participation in society.

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 17

4 years ago, Afghan girls were told school closures were “temporary.”

Today, 1.5 million are still locked out while Taliban leaders travel freely across borders & Afghan women can’t cross their own doorsteps.

This isn't just discrimination. It’s gender apartheid.

🔗 thediplomat.com/2025/09/tali...

Taliban Leaders Cross Borders While Afghan Women Can’t Cross Their Doorsteps: 5 Steps to End This Injustice

Without pressure, the Taliban will continue to be enabled by the international community in their perpetration of gender apartheid, and at a devastating human cost.

thediplomat.com

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 12

📚 As students across Canada settle into new routines, many Afghan girls are still locked out of classrooms.

They dream of learning — let’s help make it real.

Take action: righttolearn.ca/get-involved

Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 10

🚨 In the past year Iran has expelled 1.5M Afghans. Families, many women & children, are stranded at borders with little food, water, or shelter. This is a humanitarian emergency.

Learn how you can support displaced Afghan families on our blog:
righttolearn.ca/1-5-million-...

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Right to Learn Afghanistan @righttolearn.ca · Sep 8

📚 Literacy is more than reading & writing — it’s empowerment, opportunity, hope.

This #LiteracyDay we thank our volunteer translators + Darakht-e Danesh team for making 8,500+ free resources accessible to Afghan learners.

Explore 👉 darakhtdanesh.org