Afghan Women's Fight for Freedom

The return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan on 15 August 2021 marked a seismic shift in the lives of Afghan women. Once able to work, learn, and participate in public life, women and girls found their freedoms systematically dismantled by a series of decrees and directives. In the initial aftermath of the takeover, a brave few women took to the streets to voice their dissent, demanding fundamental rights such as "food, work, freedom." However, their courage was met with brutal suppression, with protesters reporting beatings, abuse, imprisonment, and even death threats.

The Spark of Defiance: Protesting in Kabul

When the Taliban militants seized control of Kabul, the life of many women, like Zakia (who requested a pseudonym), began to unravel. Previously the sole breadwinner for her family, Zakia lost her job overnight. It wasn't until over a year later, in December 2022, that she found an opportunity to express her deep-seated anger and frustration. Joining a protest march towards Kabul University, chosen for its symbolic significance, Zakia and her fellow demonstrators were intercepted by armed Taliban police before reaching their destination. Amidst the shouts of slogans, Zakia vividly recalls a Taliban officer pointing a gun directly into her mouth, threatening to kill her if she didn't remain silent. She witnessed fellow protesters being forcibly bundled into vehicles, experiencing firsthand the brutal force of the regime. Though she managed to escape, the public display of violence left her profoundly terrified for the future.

Arrested and Abused: The Personal Toll

Mariam (also using a pseudonym) and 23-year-old student Parwana Ibrahimkhail Nijrabi were among those who faced detention. For Mariam, a widow and mother, the Taliban's restrictions on women's employment amplified her fear of not being able to provide for her children. Her participation in a December 2022 protest led to her arrest. When she tried to flee after witnessing others being apprehended, she was too late. Mariam recounts being forcefully pulled from a taxi, her bag searched, and her phone confiscated. Her refusal to divulge her passcode resulted in a violent assault, a punch so severe she believed her eardrum had ruptured. The Taliban officials then perused her phone's contents, becoming enraged and pulling her by her hair. "They caught my hands and legs and threw me into the back of their Ranger," she stated, adding that they repeatedly called her a "whore." Handcuffed and with a black bag over her head, she struggled to breathe. Parwana's experience, a month later, was equally harrowing. She and a group of students organised several marches, but their activism was met with swift and severe reprisal. "They started torturing me from the moment they arrested me," Parwana shared. Forced to sit between two armed male guards, she was moved and subjected to further intimidation, including having a blanket placed over her head and guns pointed at her. Slapped multiple times, leaving her face numb, Parwana described feeling weak and like a "walking dead."

Life Behind Bars: Degrading Conditions

Both Mariam and Parwana were aware of the risks involved in protesting, but the reality of their detention surpassed their worst fears. Parwana expressed her astonishment at the degrading treatment, stating she never expected to be treated like a human being. Her first meal in jail was a shocking discovery of a nail scratching the roof of her mouth, causing her to vomit. Subsequent meals contained hair and stones. Parwana was also threatened with death by stoning, a prospect that haunted her sleep, filling her dreams with images of being stoned while wearing a helmet. Accused of promoting immorality, prostitution, and Western culture, she was held for approximately a month. Mariam spent several days in a security unit, subjected to interrogations with a black bag over her head. She heard her interrogators kicking her and demanding to know who had paid her to organise the protests, while others punched her and questioned her allegiances. Despite explaining her situation as a widow needing to feed her children, her answers were met with further violence.

Confessions, Release, and Denials

Following interventions from human rights organisations and local elders, both Mariam and Parwana were eventually released and have since left Afghanistan. However, their release came at a cost: they were coerced into signing confessions admitting guilt and pledging not to participate in any further protests. Their male relatives were also required to sign official documents guaranteeing their compliance. When these allegations were presented to Zabihullah Mujahid, a senior spokesman for the Taliban government, he confirmed the arrest of women protesters but vehemently denied any mistreatment. Mujahid stated that some women were involved in activities against the government and public safety, but disputed the protesters' accounts of torture, asserting that "there is no beating in any of the Islamic Emirate's prisons and their food is also approved by our medical teams."

Corroborating Accounts: The Reality of Imprisonment

Interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch (HRW) with protesters after their release corroborated the BBC's findings. Ferishtah Abbasi of HRW noted that the Taliban employ various forms of torture and even make families pay for protests, sometimes imprisoning women with their children in dire conditions. Zaman Soltani, a researcher for Amnesty International, who also spoke with released protesters, highlighted the severe lack of basic facilities in prisons. He described the absence of heating systems in winter, inadequate and poor-quality food, and a complete disregard for health and safety concerns.

The Erasure of Women from Public Life

Alison Davidian, UN Women Country Representative in Afghanistan, provided a stark overview of the situation in a briefing to journalists. She described the period since the Taliban's return as marked by "countless decrees, directives and statements targeting women and girls, stripping them of their fundamental rights and eviscerating their autonomy." The UN Women report, based on consultations with thousands of women across Afghanistan, revealed a significant trend: the erasure of Afghan women from public life. Ms. Davidian stated that no woman currently holds a leadership position with political influence at national or provincial levels. When women are involved in Taliban structures, their roles are primarily to monitor other women's compliance with discriminatory decrees.

Social and Economic Impact: A Deepening Crisis

This political marginalisation is mirrored socially, with a staggering 98 per cent of surveyed women reporting limited or no influence over community decisions. Furthermore, the percentage of women who feel they have a say in decisions within their own homes has plummeted by nearly 60 per cent in the past year. "Three years ago an Afghan woman could technically decide to run for president. Now, she may not even be able to decide when to go and buy groceries," Ms. Davidian explained, emphasizing the drastic shift from a pre-Taliban era where even imperfect freedoms existed.

Mental Health and Future Generations

The data from UN Women also points to an escalating mental health crisis among Afghan women, directly linked to the loss of their rights. Sixty-eight per cent of women reported experiencing "bad" or "very bad" mental health, and 8 per cent knew of at least one other woman or girl who had attempted suicide. Ms. Davidian warned that the Taliban's restrictions will have profound and lasting effects on future generations. Her analysis indicates that by 2026, the exclusion of 1.1 million girls from school and 100,000 women from university could lead to a 45 per cent increase in early childbearing and a 50 per cent rise in maternal mortality.

Investing in Resilience: The Call for Support

In the face of this deepening crisis, UN Women is advocating for continued investment in Afghan women and girls. "Nothing undermines the Taliban’s vision for society more than empowering the very part of the population that it seeks to oppress," Ms. Davidian asserted. This investment encompasses allocating sustainable funding to women's organisations, developing programmes that actively counter women's erasure, and creating spaces where Afghan women can directly articulate their priorities and recommendations. While home-based businesses in sectors like carpet weaving and tailoring persist, women face significant challenges accessing markets and financing. UN Women is actively supporting these entrepreneurs to overcome these hurdles and develop their business skills.

The Global Gaze: A Defining Moment

The report underscores that Afghan women desire self-representation, but current engagement options are insufficient. Ms. Davidian stressed the need to "meaningfully include Afghan women" in all forms of engagement and to "break the pattern of women’s exclusion." She highlighted that the global fight for women's rights is at a critical juncture, and the world's attention on Afghanistan is significant. "The world is watching what happens to Afghan women and girls," she stated, warning that some may emulate the Taliban's oppression. Ms. Davidian concluded with a powerful plea: the international community cannot abandon Afghan women. "If we do, we have no moral ground to fight for women’s rights anywhere else. Their fate determines the fate of women everywhere." The fight for women's rights in Afghanistan is a critical indicator for the global movement, and the resilience shown by women like Zakia, Mariam, and Parwana is a testament to their unwavering spirit in the face of systematic oppression.

Frequently Asked Questions

What were the main reasons for the protests by Afghan women?

The protests were primarily a response to the Taliban's severe restrictions on women's ability to work, learn, and participate in public life. Women demanded basic rights such as "food, work, freedom."

What kind of treatment did women protesters report receiving from the Taliban?

Protesters reported being beaten, abused, arrested, threatened with death, and subjected to degrading conditions in prison, including poor food quality, lack of facilities, and physical violence.

What has been the impact of the Taliban's rule on women's public presence?

The Taliban's decrees have led to the near-complete erasure of Afghan women from public life. They are largely excluded from leadership positions and have significantly reduced influence in community and even household decisions.

What are the long-term consequences predicted due to the denial of education for girls and women?

It is predicted that by 2026, the exclusion of girls from school and women from university could lead to a substantial increase in early childbearing and maternal mortality rates.

How is UN Women supporting Afghan women?

UN Women is supporting Afghan women through long-term funding to women's organisations, programmes focused on education and livelihoods, and initiatives to help women entrepreneurs overcome market and financing challenges.