KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Farah say that a woman has been killed by her husband in the Bakwa district of the province.
According to the sources, the incident occurred yesterday (Saturday, 3 May), and the woman’s husband fled the area after committing the killing.
So far, the cause, motive, and details of how the woman was killed remain unclear, and local Taliban officials have not commented on the incident.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, multiple cases of women being killed by family members have been reported from various provinces across the country.
The cause of most cases of women being killed by their relatives is considered to be domestic violence.
The increase in cases of women being killed by family members and relatives has raised widespread concerns among human rights organizations and women’s rights advocates.
The killing comes amid a wider pattern of violence against women and girls in Afghanistan. Rights groups and experts attribute much of the rise to the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s rights, the closure of shelters, and the elimination of protections established under the previous government.
All women’s protection centers operating before 2021 have been shut down, severely limiting access to safety and legal support for abuse victims.
According to Afghan Witness, a human rights monitoring initiative, at least 840 cases of violence against women and girls were documented between January 2022 and June 2024, including 332 killings. Experts emphasize that the real figures are likely far higher, as many incidents go unreported due to fear of retaliation, social stigma, and lack of reporting mechanisms.
