Walls of Silence, Crumbling Futures: Why the World Must Act on Afghanistan

November 12, 2025

Hanifa Girowal

There is growing international recognition that impunity for grave human rights violations in Afghanistan cannot be tolerated. In September, I briefed the United Nations Security Council, carrying with me the voices of thousands of Afghan women whose hopes and futures have been extinguished in silence. What I told the Council remains true today: Afghanistan faces one of the most profound human rights, humanitarian, environmental, and political crises of our time, one that will not remain confined within its borders. Since I addressed the U.N., the Human Rights Council has taken a historic step by establishing the Independent Accountability Mechanism for Afghanistan, a measure I emphasized as essential during my address.

 Afghan burqa-clad women sell walnuts at a temporary setup at a market in Mazar-i-Sharif on October 2, 2025. (Photo by ATIF ARYAN/AFP via Getty Images)