Sources from Afghan female students in Bangladesh indicate that following the escalation of political developments and chaos in the country, hundreds of Afghan female students are concerned about their security situation and face an uncertain future. At least three Afghan female students in Bangladesh stated today (Tuesday, August 7) in an interview with the media outlet Goharshad that around 600 Afghan female students are currently in Bangladesh and are experiencing poor mental health due to the political turmoil in the country. The source mentioned that most of these girls went to Bangladesh on scholarships offered by the country to continue their education at the Asian University for Women. One student said that since the start of student protests in Bangladesh on July 13, hundreds of Afghan female students have not been allowed to leave their dormitories and are worried about their safety. This student stated: "They are not allowed to leave the dormitory. The security, mental health, and psychological condition of Afghan female students are not good at all. Even the female students have not been permitted by the university to speak to the media or express their opinions on social media." Another female student mentioned that these students have not been able to communicate with their families for several days due to internet outages, but they managed to regain internet access since yesterday. The source expressed concern, emphasizing that there is no diplomatic entity available to address the challenges faced by these students. The source added: "These girls cannot return to Afghanistan either, as they are worried that the caretaker government will prevent their return." According to the source, those students whose countries have embassies in Bangladesh have spoken with government officials of that country and have been warned about ensuring the safety of students; however, Afghan girls have no one to check on them. This comes as Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, resigned and left the country yesterday after weeks of student protests that escalated into deadly nationwide unrest. Ms. Hasina fled to India by helicopter after her residence in Dhaka was attacked by protesters. Additionally, two days ago, over 90 people, including at least dozens of police officers, were killed in clashes in Bangladesh. The unrest began last month with calls to abolish quotas in government jobs and has since turned into a campaign of civil disobedience. According to reports, at least 300 people have lost their lives during the recent month of protests.

Fariba Hashemi, an Afghan cyclist who will represent Afghanistan at the 2024 Paris Olympics, says she is doing her utmost to achieve a good result and to represent the 20 million women of Afghanistan in this global competition. According to a report by France-Press, Fariba Hashemi and Youldoz Hashemi will raise the flag of a fallen country at the Paris Olympics. Fariba Hashemi is one of six representatives from Afghanistan in cycling at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The report states that the selection of the six-member team, which includes three men and three women, is a deliberate display of equality in response to the current government's strong opposition to women's participation in professional sports since it regained power in 2021. Youldoz and Fariba were in Kabul during the fall of Afghanistan and, with the help of world champion Italian cyclist Alessandra Cappelluto, managed to escape the besieged city with a few other cyclists. Fariba Hashemi expresses her astonishment at the return of the current regime. She emphasized, "When the Taliban took power in my country, I was in Afghanistan. After three or four days, they took control of all of Afghanistan. I was not only worried about myself; I was worried about my people, worried about everything. Because the first time they came to my country [in 1996], they stopped everything for women—everything: school, sports. What was left for women? They closed everything." Fariba hopes that her performance at the Paris Olympics, or even her presence there, will help combat the notion that women and girls have no place in the world of professional sports. This Afghan cyclist stressed, "You can change this mindset together." She aims to demonstrate that cycling is a good activity that everyone can participate in. This sport is not just for men; it is also for women and girls. It is worth noting that the Hashemi sisters are representing Afghanistan while the current government has imposed many restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of women and girls since taking power, including a ban on girls' sports.

Ali Reza Vahidzadeh, the director of social welfare in Kerman, Iran, stated that out of 602 child laborers in the city, only eight are Iranian, while 594 are Afghan. Mr. Vahidzadeh made this statement during a press conference, referring to child labor as a "chronic wound." He emphasized that Afghan families are indifferent to the issue of their children's labor. He noted regarding the Afghan child laborers in the city: "Although we have tried multiple times to communicate with these families, they are not as concerned about this issue as we are." The director mentioned that Afghan families in the city see their children "only as a source of labor." The significant presence of Afghan child laborers in Iran has previously faced negative reactions from Iranian officials. Earlier, Ahmad Vahidi, Iran's Minister of Interior, stated that most child laborers on the streets of Iran are foreign nationals. Mr. Vahidi emphasized that the majority of them are "illegal" Afghan migrants and "should return to their country." Additionally, the head of Iran's National Migration Organization announced at the end of last year that Afghan child laborers would be collected and returned to their homeland. It is worth noting that there is currently no accurate statistic available regarding the number of Afghan child laborers in Iran; however, a member of Tehran's City Council previously stated that there are approximately 70,000 child laborers in Tehran alone, with 80 percent of them being Afghan. The spokesperson for Tehran's municipality also mentioned a plan for collecting Afghan child laborers and waste pickers, stating that they will be returned to Afghanistan.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced that nearly 8 million citizens of Afghanistan have left their homeland since 2020. In a published report, the organization stated that among these, one million Afghan citizens have sought refuge in European countries, while 85 percent have gone to neighboring countries. The report mentions that since the current government came to power in Asad 1400 (August 2021), economic inflation in the country has significantly increased, and during this period, more than half of the population has experienced poverty. The United States government signed a peace agreement with the caretaker government in Doha, Qatar, on February 29, 2020, and many believe that this agreement paved the way for the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the entry of the current government into Kabul. The IOM emphasized that about 70 percent of Afghans migrating to Iran say they have left their homeland due to a lack of job opportunities. The organization added that the number of Afghan returnees from Iran is also significant, with nearly one million Afghans returning to their country in 2023. Seventy percent of the returnees did not have residency documents. The report states that many citizens of Afghanistan prefer to migrate to other countries through illegal means due to difficulties in obtaining passports and visas, often paying human traffickers to cross borders. The IOM report indicates that Afghans without access to travel documents face greater threats, including human rights violations while crossing borders and in neighboring countries. The organization notes that this group of Afghans encounters "cruel, inhumane, and degrading" treatment. Furthermore, the International Organization for Migration has called on countries to halt the deportation of Afghan migrants until conditions for their return are "safe, dignified, and voluntary." It is noteworthy that in recent months, the governments of Pakistan and Iran have increased the deportation of Afghan migrants lacking residency documents. According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Refugees and Returnees of the current government, more than a thousand Afghan migrants are deported daily from these two countries.

A number of protesting women have criticized the "harassment" of Afghan citizens in Iran, particularly in Tehran, stating that women, girls, human rights activists, and female protesters who have fled to this country out of fear of the interim government are also facing a wave of "anti-migrant sentiment." A group of protesting women known as the "Window of Hope Women's Movement" has issued a statement saying that millions have fled to various countries out of fear of the current government and are now facing numerous challenges in host countries, including violent behaviors and the risk of forced deportation. The statement reads: "On one hand, Iran is a primary supporter of the agents of the people's destruction, namely the current government. On the other hand, it is acting against human rights principles by harassing, torturing, treating inhumanely, detaining, and forcibly deporting migrants on a large scale." The protesting women emphasized that "torturing and sending such individuals to their deaths" is contrary to all internationally accepted principles that Iran must adhere to. Members of the "Window of Hope Women's Movement" added that interventions, the policies of neighboring countries and global superpowers, terrorism, poverty, and unemployment are the main factors driving Afghan citizens to migrate. They further stated that supporting Afghan migrants is the responsibility of countries at the international level. The protesting women are calling on Iran to stop its "anti-migrant policy" and not support the interim government in Afghanistan. Additionally, members of the "Window of Hope Women's Movement" are urging the United Nations and host countries not to forget their responsibilities and to take practical action to save the lives of Afghan migrants, especially women and children residing in Iran. It is worth mentioning that recently, following reports of an Iranian citizen being killed in District 15 of Tehran, several Afghan migrants in Tehran reported on the "widespread mistreatment of locals towards Afghans in the eastern part of the capital." Last week, it was reported that an Iranian citizen was killed following a confrontation with three Afghan migrants. Moreover, Afghan migrants from District 15 of Tehran (the site of this confrontation) have shared a notice on social media warning Afghan migrants to leave the area immediately.

Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special Representative for Human Rights and Women in Afghanistan, states that the decrees issued by the interim government over the past three years against women and girls in Afghanistan have been "catastrophic." Ms. Amiri raised this issue during a session on the status of women and girls in Afghanistan at the U.S. Congress, noting that women and girls are the "primary victims of the economic and humanitarian crisis" in Afghanistan. She emphasized that the interim government has fundamentally destroyed the values that the Afghan people had achieved after two decades. She stated that the current government has banned women and girls from employment sectors and severely restricted their access to healthcare services. The U.S. Special Representative for Human Rights and Women in Afghanistan, citing a June report by Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, mentioned that the series of decrees from the current government has led to systematic violations of women's rights and has made it difficult for international organizations to operate. Ms. Amiri added that the current government has shown no signs of normalization in the past three years, and the United States is not going to recognize them. Reena Amiri stressed that the world must ensure that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for terrorists again. In her continued remarks at the session, she noted that the current government is accused of suppressing human rights, especially women's rights in Afghanistan. This U.S. official welcomed the sanctions imposed against the current government by the United States, stating, "We welcome these sanctions." Ms. Amiri mentioned that over 100 individuals and five entities of the current government are under sanctions, and they will work with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Special Rapporteur to hold the interim government accountable. Additionally, for nearly three years, the interim government has banned girls above sixth grade from attending school in Afghanistan. The interim government has also prevented Afghan women and girls from studying at universities, educational centers, and working in domestic and international organizations. These actions by the current government have resulted in hundreds of thousands being unemployed and millions of girls missing out on education.