The resurgence of the Taliban in 2021 has severely restricted the lives of women since their return. Girls are confined to their families and deprived of their prospects because secondary school is prohibited for them. Due to their inability to work in most fields, women are socially and economically oppressed. Women must now cover themselves from head to toe and hide their identities in public places that are now off-limits.
Afghan women have been severely restricted in their ability to participate in public life, work, and education. Girls are not allowed to continue their education past the sixth grade, and there are fewer and fewer female voices in public places. According to reports, the ministry has also outlawed the public display of photos of living things, including those shown in official media broadcasts.
In the case of political decisions made in the country, 98 per cent of women surveyed said they had little to no influence over decisions made in their communities, reflecting this social erasing of politics. In addition, women’s perceptions of their influence over domestic decisions have decreased by about 60 per cent in the last 12 months.
Cases of gender-based violence have also skyrocketed in the country with 332 women reported as victims of femicide since the Taliban took control. Data on the prevalence of sexual and physical assault against women in Afghanistan discovered that 840 women and girls had experienced gender-based violence between January 1, 2022, and June 30 2024, which is almost one case reported every day.
Taliban leaders have been responsible for more than half of the incidents that were reported. 115 cases of sexual violence, including forced marriage, sexual slavery, assault, and rape, were found in an analysis of crimes purportedly committed by the Taliban.
A total of 113 women were reported arrested, many for violating the regime’s oppressive laws against women and girls, which include prohibiting them from travelling long distances without a male guardian—another 73 occurrences involved torture and non-sexual abuse.
The UN Women investigations also showed that the loss of rights is associated with a growing mental health problem. Eight per cent of women stated they knew at least one other woman or girl who had tried suicide, and sixty-eight per cent said their mental health was “bad” or “very bad.” The analysis demonstrates that by 2026, the impact of excluding 100,000 women from college and 1.1 million girls from school correlates to an increase in maternal mortality of up to 50 per cent and an increase in early childbearing of 45 per cent.
Women’s rights and the Taliban’s worldview are essentially irreconcilable. Their misogynistic worldview dictates that women should be kept in the home and be obedient to men. As a result, there is now more violence against women, such as honour killings, forced marriages, and domestic abuse.
It was also reported that Afghan women were forbidden from speaking to each other in public but this has been denied by the Afghan media spokesman who called the reports ‘brainless and illogical’.
Although the international community has condemned the Taliban’s acts, their power is still quite limited. Afghan women continue to suffer as the world looks on, their dreams and expectations dashed. Afghanistan’s future is in jeopardy, and its women’s future is still up in the air. The hard-won victories of the last 20 years could be lost forever unless the international community acts decisively.
However, Afghan women’s resilience persists. They still seek education, work, and a voice in their society, defying the Taliban’s repressive policies. The world is inspired by their bravery, which serves as a reminder that the human spirit is unbreakable. We must elevate the voices of Afghan women and insist that their rights be upheld as the world unites against injustice. Only then will Afghanistan have a chance to rise above the shadows and regain its position in the international community.
