The Fight for Women’s and Girls’ Human Rights Under the Taliban

Five years after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, women and girls face systemic exclusion from public life, including prohibitions on education, bans on travel without a male chaperone, and severe restrictions on employment. Join the IGP Ann F. Kaplan Women’s Initiative for a discussion of ongoing human rights abuses against Afghan women and girls and their fight for freedom—including an excerpt from Rule Breakers, a powerful film that documents the story of Afghanistan’s first all-girls robotics team, Afghan Dreamers, which competed against the odds—followed by a panel discussion on the way forward featuring Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Roya Mahboob, the team’s founder and coach, and Ayda Hydapour, a former member of the team.

Speakers:

• Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan
• Ayda Hydapour, software engineer and former member of Afghan Dreamers
• Roya Mahboob, CEO and Cofounder, Digital Citizen Fund
• Jennifer Klein, Ann F. Kaplan Professor of Professional Practice; Director of IGP’s Ann F. Kaplan Women’s Initiative, Columbia SIPA
• Rachel Vogelstein, Associate Professor of Professional Practice; Director of IGP’s Ann F. Kaplan IGP Women’s Initiative; Faculty Codirector of the Human Rights, Gender, and Equity Concentration, Columbia SIPA

Sponsors:

This event is organized by IGP’s Ann F. Kaplan Women’s Initiative and cosponsored by the Human Rights, Gender, and Equity (HRGE) Concentration at Columbia SIPA, the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School, and the Digital Citizen Fund.

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