Five years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, women and girls across the country have told the BBC that their lives have become almost unrecognisable under the group’s rule.
The hard-line Islamist movement has steadily rolled back the rights and freedoms of Afghanistan’s estimated 22 million women since returning to power in August 2021, two decades after it was ousted by a US-led military coalition.
The BBC is among the few international media organisations that has maintained access to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. Journalists spoke to women in different parts of the country, from Kabul to remote rural communities, about how the restrictions imposed by the Taliban have affected their education, careers, healthcare, family lives and hopes for the future.
Since returning to power, the Taliban has prevented girls above the age of 12 from accessing secondary education and banned women and girls from attending universities. Women have also faced severe restrictions on travelling without a male relative, working in many sectors and accessing public spaces.
New laws and regulations have further restricted women’s rights, including provisions that critics say could provide legal grounds for child marriage.
When BBC Afghan asked Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi about the restrictions facing women, he rejected the suggestion that women were completely excluded from public life.
“Women are not totally restricted on all walks of life,” he said.
However, the restrictions have affected almost every aspect of women’s lives and have made it increasingly difficult for them to speak publicly about their experiences. Several women interviewed by the BBC did not use their real names because they feared retaliation or punishment.
Ela, from Kabul, said the country’s worsening economic conditions had also made it increasingly difficult for women to focus on education, careers and personal ambitions.
“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,” she said.
“Today, survival has become the priority, and many of us no longer have the time or energy to think about the future.”
Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
Shakiba described 15 August, the date the previous Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban returned to power, as one of the most painful moments of her life.
“15 August, when the government fell, was the worst and most painful day of my life,” she said.
“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.”
Despite the restrictions, Shakiba managed to complete her secondary education through online learning, describing it as “a very important victory”.
But her lifelong ambition of becoming a pilot now appears almost 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.
Taliban defends restrictions on women
Muttaqi was questioned by the BBC about the state of education for Afghan girls, after a Unicef report said about 2.6 million girls are now unable to attend school beyond Grade 6.
The Taliban foreign minister insisted that it was inaccurate to say education and other opportunities had been completely closed to women.
“It is not correct to say everything is banned for women,” Muttaqi said, claiming that around three million girls were attending schools and madrassas, or religious educational centres.
When asked how religious education could provide Afghanistan with enough female doctors and other professionals, he maintained that restrictions were limited.
“Women are not totally restricted on all walks of life… Only one small part (of their affairs) is restricted until further notice,” he said.
The United Nations says only around 7% of women in Afghanistan are currently employed, following restrictions and bans affecting numerous workplaces and educational institutions.
Zuhal, a former news anchor, said she had been forced out of her profession following a series of Taliban orders restricting women working in the media.
“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,” she said.
“ 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.”
Muttaqi offered a different assessment of women’s participation in the economy, saying Afghanistan had between 30,000 female business owners in 2020 and 2021 and claiming that the figure had since increased to around 120,000.
“[Women] are teachers, and civil servants and entrepreneurs. There is not a total ban on women in all forms of engagement and activities,” he said.
But women’s rights advocates argue that the restrictions on education, employment, movement and public participation have created profound barriers to women’s independence.
Public punishments and fear
The Taliban has also revived the public enforcement of corporal punishments in Afghanistan.
Official records indicate that hundreds of people have been flogged since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, although human rights organisations believe the actual number could be considerably higher.
Shaima told the BBC that she was publicly whipped 50 times, leaving her with severe physical scars and causing lasting trauma for her family.
She said she had been forced to sign a confession stating that she was an apostate and had collaborated with foreigners and spoken to men who were not relatives.
“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’,” she said.
“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.”
The experience has also deeply affected Shaima’s children.
She said her eldest daughter wakes up frightened almost every night and asks her questions such as, “Mother, they are beating you,” and “Mother, they are killing you”.
“That is what causes me the greatest pain,” Shaima said.
Manizha was publicly lashed 39 times after the Taliban discovered her friendship with a man. She was subsequently imprisoned.
“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,” she said.
She described her time in prison as an experience she has struggled to discuss even with her own mother.
“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,” she said.
“I had become a source of shame for my family and friends… I could no longer think about marriage.”
Healthcare fears grow
Women and girls in Afghanistan also face serious challenges in accessing healthcare.
Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, while restrictions affecting women’s education and employment have contributed to a shortage of female medical professionals.
Rules limiting access to treatment from male doctors can make it particularly difficult for women and girls to receive medical care, especially in areas where female healthcare workers are scarce.
Marzia, a midwife, told the BBC about the death of a 45-year-old mother of six who had travelled from a remote district to reach a medical clinic.
“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?” she said.
“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, who is expecting a baby girl, said she was deeply worried about what kind of future her daughter would face.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
‘Speak up for Afghan women’
Despite the restrictions and hardships, some Afghan women say they continue to hope for a different future.
Noori, 24, had planned to study law and political science because she wanted to defend women’s rights and help give women a stronger voice.
Her university education was interrupted by the Taliban takeover, but she refused to abandon her ambitions.
“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,” she said.
Noori now hopes to establish her own company and create employment opportunities for other women.
“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.”
She said 10 women are currently working at the business.
Asma, 13, also continues to dream of becoming a doctor despite knowing that her educational opportunities are severely restricted.
“One day, everything will change… but we must continue with patience, and we will not lose hope,” she told the BBC.
For other women, maintaining international attention on Afghanistan remains crucial.
Ela, the dental assistant from Kabul, called on the international community not to forget Afghan women and girls as the Taliban’s restrictions continue.
“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.”
Five years after the Taliban returned to power, Afghan women continue to face sweeping restrictions on education, employment, movement, healthcare and participation in public life. Yet amid economic hardship, fear and uncertainty, many say they are still determined to preserve their ambitions and seek a future in which women can once again study, work and live with greater freedom.
