Feminists note virginity traditionally frames female sexuality as a treasure, gift or memento to be ‘given’ by women, ‘taken’ from them or simply ‘lost’.

"Many of our players who are from provinces were threatened many times by their relatives who are Taliban and Taliban followers. The Taliban asked our players' families to not allow their girls to do sport, otherwise they will be faced with unexpected violence."

"Primary health facilities across Afghanistan are collapsing… maternal mortality rates, child mortality rates, will increase, unfortunately," says Dr Wahid Majrooh, chief of public health, who is the only minister remaining in post since Kabul fell last month.

Tackling violence against women and girls should be as much of a priority as countering terrorism, a police watchdog has said. It has identified major inconsistencies between police forces in how they tackle the issue.

A group of former models have called on French lawmakers to abolish the law which determines how long victims of sexual assault have to report to the authorities. The women claim to have been sexually assaulted or raped by their model agents more than 20 years ago. French law says they have run out of time to start criminal proceedings.

Afghan women have started an online campaign to protest against the Taliban's strict new dress code for female students. Using hashtags like #DoNotTouchMyClothes and #AfghanistanCulture, many are sharing pictures of their colourful traditional dresses.

"We were all beaten. I was also hit. They told us to go home saying that's where a woman's place is."

Videos that went viral on social media reportedly showed young girls walking naked with a wooden shaft on their shoulders which had a frog tied to it. Locals believe the ritual will appease the rain god and bring rainfall to the region.

The appointments are no doubt welcome, as they narrow the gender gap in India's top court. But critics say celebrations are premature until the skewed gender balance across India's judiciary - which a retired female judge recently described as "an old boy's club" - is fixed.

Elle Seline, who was bullied at school over her appearance, is to enter the competition make-up-free to "empower young women". Having used make-up as a mask when she was a teen and due to ridicule for having more body hair due to her mixed Greek/English heritage, she wants her entry in the national pageant to inspire the next generation.

"I'm also worried about all the girls in Afghanistan who want futures and careers. It's not clear if they can continue their education or not, or whether they can pursue their dreams or not. How will their future be? Everything is uncertain."

In an experiment, almost all Facebook users shown adverts for mechanics were men, while ads for nursery nurses were seen almost exclusively by women. Facebook says its system shows people ads they may be most interested in.