Immediately following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Asia Pacific Network of Refugees (APNOR), the Global Refugee Network (MENA), PILnet and other partners organized an urgent consultation on meeting legal needs arising from the Afghanistan situation. During this event the need for clear and concise information on legal aid and legal pathways available to Afghans emerged as a priority area. 

The international legal community, the ATLAS Women, were pivotal in the early stages of the crisis, mobilizing their network of lawyers on the ground to provide urgent legal assistance to Afghan women and their families. Building upon this work and to respond to evolving legal needs, PILnet, ATLAS Women, APRRN, AMERA, the Leitner Center, and a number of partners began developing legal information sheets on available legal aid and routes into different countries around the world. This work was made possible thanks to support from Herbert Smith Freehills, which seconded two members of staff to PILnet to support this and other refugee rights projects.

Over a year on and such information remains more important than ever. Since March 2022, the Taliban have systematically denied women access to education and public life. Over the course of the last year, girls have been shut out of primary schools, secondary schools and universities, culminating in the minister for higher education announcing the suspension of women’s education until further notice. In late December 2022, the Taliban also announced an order banning women from working for local and international NGOs in Afghanistan. These actions by the Taliban leave millions of Afghans in need of legal assistance. With a number of collaborative projects between NGOs and law firms now in place across Europe to provide additional free legal support and services, the sheets aim to simplify and explain the ecosystem of legal assistance in these and other countries.