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Emma Batha
For Emma Batha's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Thousands of Afghan women run microenterprises from their homes.
WORLD / Society
Aug 15, 2023
Afghan women set up secret businesses to escape Taliban bans
The administration has banned women from most jobs, barred girls from secondary and higher education, and restricted their movement.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 21, 2022
Afghan women defy Taliban gym ban with secret fitness clubs
The Taliban banned women from gyms and parks last month, another clampdown amid a progressive erosion of their freedoms.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 16, 2022
Police check fears and hurdles keeping Hong Kong migrants out of U.K. professions
Some Hong Kongers fear giving their details to a police force they no longer trust, and the British consulate in Hong Kong stopped facilitating such requests in June.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 5, 2022
Ukraine's stateless trapped in war zone with no proof they exist
Ukraine has thousands of people not recognized as a citizen of any country — without proof of identity, they are trapped in the fighting as checkpoints proliferate.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 14, 2022
Afghan smugglers hike prices and expand networks after Taliban takeover
The Taliban's lightning capture of Afghanistan has prompted a mass exodus, and smugglers are taking advantage of Afghans' desperation to leave by hiking prices.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 11, 2022
As famine stalks Afghanistan, West urged to rescue stricken economy
Finding a way to avert catastrophe is complicated by a slew of sanctions on the Taliban, but some say such restrictions are 'self-defeating' as it increases the need for aid by the day.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Oct 20, 2021
As women flee Afghanistan, brain drain hits economy and girls' hopes
The Taliban say women will be allowed to work in accordance with Islamic law, but have not clarified exactly what this means.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 24, 2021
Afghan women's faces disappear online and in the street after Taliban takeover
Some have expressed concern that deleting women's pictures for the sake of safety could inadvertently bolster the ideology that was strictly imposed during the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 19, 2021
Afghan women fear for their jobs and daughters' futures
Many Afghan women are taking no chances with the country's new Taliban leaders despite promises they can keep working.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 16, 2021
Malaysian mothers fight government over sexist citizenship law
Malaysia is one of 25 countries that do not give mothers and fathers equal rights to pass their nationality to their children.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Oct 5, 2020
Online abuse drives girls off Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, poll finds
Social media companies were urged to take action to address the issue and called on governments to pass laws to deal with online harassment.
WORLD
Nov 24, 2018
Rights groups urge European countries to scrap 'outdated, harmful' rape laws
European countries must overhaul "outdated" laws that let rapists off the hook and perpetuate a culture of victim-blaming, rights groups said Saturday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 14, 2017
Ex-North Korean propaganda artist turns his skills to satire
For seven years North Korean artist Song Byeok painted propaganda posters glorifying the world's most secretive regime. Today, having defected to South Korea, he uses his talents to satirize his repressive homeland.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 3, 2015
North Korean defector offers brutal insight into world's most secret state
As a schoolgirl in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was forced to watch executions, denounce her friends for fabricated transgressions and dig tunnels in case of a nuclear attack.

Longform

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