Yaftali, Zarqa Mrs.

2. Previous Function:
Executive director of Women and Children Legal Research Organisation WCLRF

3. Biodata:

Mrs. Zarqa Yaftali was born in an intellectual family of Badakhshan province. In 1984 did her primary education in Kabul and in 2002 graduated from Maryam high school. At the same year she found an opportunity through Kankor to pursue her bachelor degree in law and political science in Kabul university and graduated in 2006.
 

She joined Women and Children Legal Research Foundation (WCLRF) as research assistant in 2007 and as her brilliance and flexibility she had promoted to senior level of this organization such as head of research department, Head of program and now since 2011 as executive director with WCLRF.
 

Situation after August 2021

Following the Taliban's return to power:

• many Afghan women's NGOs sharply reduced or suspended public activities,
• numerous staff members left Afghanistan,
• advocacy work became significantly more difficult because of restrictions on women and civil society.

Despite these challenges, WCLRF has continued to maintain an online presence and has recently published calls for consultants and descriptions of humanitarian and community-based programs, indicating that it remains active in some capacity. 

Overall assessment

WCLRF is not a political party or government body. It is an Afghan civil society organization founded by women lawyers to improve women's and children's legal rights through research, advocacy, and public education. Before 2021 it was one of Afghanistan's better-known women's rights NGOs and collaborated extensively with international donors and organizations. Since the Taliban takeover, like many Afghan NGOs, it has had to adapt its activities to a much more restrictive operating environment.