Germany sees sharp rise in Afghan women asylum seekers amid Taliban repression

BERLIN: Germany has reported a sharp increase in asylum applications from Afghan women, driven by worsening conditions under Taliban rule and recent European Union rulings recognizing gender-based persecution, Khaama Press reported.

According to Der Spiegel, more than 3,000 Afghan women applied for asylum in Germany in July 2025 alone, more than double the number from the previous month. Since the beginning of the year, approximately 9,593 women have sought refuge in the country, Khaama Press added.

The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees attributed this sharp rise to the Taliban’s systematic repression of women’s rights since retaking power in 2021. Women have been excluded from education, employment, and public life in what experts describe as a coordinated erasure of their civil liberties, Khaama Press reported.

More than 3,000 Afghan women applied for asylum in July in Germany — twice as much as in June. https://t.co/sa7lj7VohB via @InfoMigrants

— Elian Peltier (@ElianPeltier) August 9, 2025

A major contributing factor to the increase in asylum claims was a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice in late 2024. The court declared that “women in Afghanistan are generally subject to political persecution,” making them eligible for asylum under EU law.

Following the ruling, Germany’s immigration authority acknowledged that the legal pathway for Afghan women seeking protection has become significantly stronger, increasing their chances of receiving refugee status, Khaama Press said.

Last year, the EU’s top court also stated that Afghanistan’s nationality and gender alone can constitute sufficient grounds for granting asylum. This important precedent has reshaped refugee assessments across member states.

As the Taliban continues its gender-based repression, women of Afghanistan are increasingly turning to countries like Germany for safety and basic human rights, experts warn. They added that without coordinated international support and policy reforms, host nations may struggle to accommodate the growing number of vulnerable women fleeing persecution in Afghanistan.

In response to these challenges, the Prime Minister of Germany’s Bavaria state has once again emphasized the deportation of foreign criminals, including nationals from Afghanistan and Syria, as Germany pushes forward with a tougher migration stance, Tolo News reported.

Bavarian Premier Markus Soder stated that Germany has reformed its immigration policy, sending a clear message that all criminals and human traffickers will face quicker arrest and deportation in Bavaria than in other parts of the country.

“Law and order prevail in Bavaria. Foreign criminals must be decisively deported–even to Afghanistan and Syria. Overall, we have brought a shift in migration policy. The principle is: more people should be deported, and fewer should be accepted”, Soder said.

Tolo News reported that the remarks come amid growing concerns among Afghan nationals living in Germany, who claim the federal government has tightened its stance toward foreign nationals — particularly Afghans — by delegating more authority to state governments in deporting individuals considered criminal offenders under German law.

Political analyst Najib Rahman Shamal said, “Germany has recently imposed stricter restrictions on refugees involved in criminal activities. These countries have reinforced their borders and imposed severe limitations”.

Refugee rights activist Alireza Karimi also weighed in, stating that Soder’s remarks reflect a harsh treatment of refugees in Germany. “Insisting on the deportation of Syrian and Afghan refugees indicates a significant legal shift in German state policy,” he said.

Germany’s renewed deportation push follows its latest action on July 17, when the country deported 81 Afghans to Kabul — marking the second such deportation this solar year, according to Tolo News. (ANI)