Draft:Yalda Royan



Yalda Royan ((Persian/Dari: یلدا رویان) is an Afghan women's rights activist and human rights defender. She holds a master's degree in gender and women's studies from Kabul University. Before the collapse of Afghanistan's republic at the hands of the Taliban, she worked as a gender advisor at the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA), Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG).   After the collapse of the Afghanistan government in August 2021, she was evacuated to the US with her two teenage daughters.  In exile, Royan continues her activism against the systematic oppression of minority groups, especially the Hazara people and women under the Taliban de facto regime. She is currently the country team lead for the feminist organization VOICE Amplified  as well as a member of the Afghan Women's Advocacy Group in exile. She recently founded the Sisterhood and Solidarity organization which focuses on amplifying the experiences of Hazara Afghan women and former members of the security services and advocating on their behalf. She is part of an Afghan women's movement in exile that advocates for the recognition of gender apartheid as a crime under international law in order to combat institutionalized violence and oppression against women under the Taliban regime.