Image source, SAMIULLAH POPAL/EPAByBBC Afghan service
Five years on from the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, women and girls have told the BBC their lives are unrecognisable under the rule of the regime.
The hard-line Islamist group has been eroding the rights of the 22 million women in the country since it re-gained control in 2021- two decades after being removed from power by a US-led military coalition.
The BBC is one of the few media organisations that has been able to maintain access to Afghanistan since the takeover. We spoke to women across the country, from the heart of Kabul to the vast countryside.
They have watched on as the Taliban barred access to school for girls over 12, restricted travel without a male chaperone and brought in a law implying legal approval for child marriage.
When questioned by BBC Afghan over the constraints that women face, the Taliban’s foreign minister said: “Women are not totally restricted on all walks of life”.
But the restrictions impact almost every part of their lives and make it difficult to tell their stories. Many of the women have not used their real names because they fear reprisals.
“People are so overwhelmed by poverty and daily hardships that many have been forced to put their education, dreams, and hopes for the future aside,” Ela from Kabul said.
“Today, survival has become the priority, and many of us no longer have the time or energy to think about the future.”
This story contains distressing details.
Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world where girls are officially banned from secondary and higher education.
Shakiba recounted that “15 August, when the government fell, was the worst and most painful day of my life.
“Every year when this date comes I feel as if an old wound opens again and a new feeling of defeat fills my heart.
“That day I felt that many of the dreams I had carried inside me for years were suddenly taken away.”
Though Shakiba has managed to finish her secondary education online – “a very important victory” – she says her life-long goal of becoming a pilot feels impossible.
“Whenever I looked at the sky I imagined myself flying an airplane and seeing the world from above. I wanted to fly freely and experience a world without limits,” she said.
The Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was asked by the BBC about education for girls in Afghanistan, specifically referencing a Unicef report stating that around 2.6 million girls in the country are now unable to attend school beyond Grade 6.
Amir Khan Muttaqi replied that “it is not correct to say everything is banned for women”, adding that “right now, three million girls are going to schools and madrassas [religious centres focused on Islamic teachings]”.
When asked how religious schools can produce doctors in the country, Muttaqi said: “Women are not totally restricted on all walks of life… Only one small part (of their affairs) is restricted until further notice.”
Only 7% of women in Afghanistan are employed, after being banned from many workplaces and fields of study, the United Nations says.
News anchor Zuhal was pushed out of her job after a series of Taliban orders.
“I was very passionate about my work and did it with love. Every time I sat in front of the camera and read the news, I felt proud and happy… it was part of my identity and life.
“The days when I used to wake up to the sound of my alarm clock and get ready to watch TV have now become days when I wake up in the morning knowing that I have to spend the whole day at home.”
According to the foreign minister, Afghanistan had up to 30,000 women in business in 2020 and 2021 – which has since risen to 120,000 female entrepreneurs.
“[Women] are teachers, and civil servants and entrepreneurs. There is not a total ban on women in all forms of engagement and activities,” Muttaqi said.
The Taliban has resumed the public implementation of corporal punishments, with official records saying hundreds of people have been flogged since 2021 – but the true figure is likely much higher.
Shaima told the BBC she was whipped 50 times, leaving her body badly scarred and her whole family traumatised.
“They brought a paper and forced me to confess that: ‘Yes, I am an apostate woman. I am collaborating with infidels and have spoken with unrelated men’.
“They hit me so hard that my head would bend toward the ground.
“Around 200 local people had gathered, including men, boys, and children. All of them were male. I was required to say out loud that I repented.”
Shaima said her eldest daughter now wakes up frightened almost every night and asks her “Mother, they are beating you,” or “Mother, they are killing you”.
“That is what causes me the greatest pain,” she added.
Manizha was publicly lashed 39 times over her friendship with a man, and then jailed.
“We wanted to get married, but unfortunately we were arrested. I do not know how the Taliban intelligence found out, or whether someone reported us.
“In prison, I experienced things that I have never even told my mother. I had no desire to continue living. I used to say that the first thing I would do after getting out of prison would be to take my own life.
“I had become a source of shame for my family and friends… I could no longer think about marriage.”
If you, or someone you know, has been affected by issues mentioned in this article, BBC Action Line has put together a list of organisations which can help.
Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates – rules restricting treatment by male doctors mean many women and girls are unable to access healthcare.
Midwife Marzia recounted watching a 45-year-old mother of six die in front of her after she travelled to the clinic from a remote district.
“We managed to save the baby, but now I keep thinking about the baby’s future and the future of her six other children. What will happen to them without their mother? What will happen to the whole family?
“We were all heartbroken. For us, losing a patient is always the hardest part of our job. We become exhausted, both physically and emotionally.”
Maryam is expecting a baby girl and said she worries about her daughter’s future.
“If things continue like this, what will happen to her? She will not even have the chance to finish school like I did, let alone go to university.
“If one day she gets married, becomes pregnant and needs a female doctor during childbirth, what if there isn’t one? This is a matter of life and death.”
Some of the Afghan women we spoke to said they still have hope for the future.
Noori, 24, said she had chosen to study law and political science because she wanted to give women a voice and defend their rights.
She never finished her degree because of the Taliban take over, but she’s still been able to find a way to help women.
“I did not lose hope. I decided to start working and become financially independent. I found a job at a jam-making company and started working there. I have now been working for three years.
“Now, I have decided to establish my own company so that I can provide employment opportunities for other women. I want them to become independent, strong, and successful women like me and have a better future.
“Currently, 10 brave women are working there.”
Noori says she’s worked hard to help provide opportunities for other women
Asma, who is 13, wants to become a doctor and is sure someday she will be.
“One day, everything will change… but we must continue with patience, and we will not lose hope,” she told the BBC.
Ela, who is a dental assistant, urged the international community not to forget Afghani women and girls.
“Speak up for Afghan women, support their right to education and work,” she said.
“Keep the world’s attention on their situation. We need solidarity, not silence.”
