Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in the United Kingdom, has announced that the Women of Afghanistan have won the 2026 Chatham House Prize.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 20, the institute said the award was presented in recognition of the courage and resilience of the Women of Afghanistan in the face of systematic gender-based persecution and repression, as well as their efforts to defend women’s rights.
Chatham House said that five years after the Taliban seized power, women and girls in Afghanistan have faced extensive restrictions in various areas.
According to the statement, women and girls have been deprived of secondary and higher education, face restrictions in many areas of employment, and have also had their freedom of movement curtailed.
The institute added that women across Afghanistan have continued to resist these restrictions and have fought for their rights and freedoms through protests, advocacy, and efforts to preserve access to education.
Chatham House said that this resistance has drawn the attention of the international community to the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan and the consequences of excluding them from public life.
