Canadian charity changes name as Taliban strikes a familiar and horrifying tone

A Canadian charity with deep roots in Afghanistan has changed its name to better reflect its core mission as the Taliban further entrenches gender apartheid in that country.

Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan will now be known as Right to Learn Afghanistan.

“As we make lasting advances in upholding the fundamental right to a quality education, our new name opens more doors and invites everyone—regardless of who or where they are—to join us in upholding women’s rights,” read a statement issued by the charity.

Late last month, the Taliban enacted new laws banning women from speaking in public spaces and forcing them to cover their entire bodies, including their faces, marking a return to the extreme repression seen under their rule in the 1990s.

Some advocates, including former Afghan parliamentarian Shukria Barakzai, have criticized the international community, including the United Nations, for a weak response to the Taliban’s repression of women and girls.

“They are, in a way, whitewashing this group, disregarding the fact that the Taliban are committing widespread human rights violations,” she told The Guardian newspaper last week.

The Taliban is listed as a terrorist entity under Canadian law.