'I have to fight for the future of Afghan women': brave women speak out about life under the Taliban

The Taliban took power two years ago this week

When Ferhana’s* clothes shop, in Afghan capital, Kabul, was shut down by the authorities last year, she bravely stood up against the Taliban regime and argued, successfully, for it to be reopened.

"When me and the other women shop owners stood up against the authorities, we had to believe that we also have the same kind of power as a man,” she says, of living in a country where education for girls is banned and most women are prohibited from working outside of the home since Taliban forces took control over Afghanistan two years ago, becoming the de facto government.

“’[I told them] ‘Would you rather I beg on the streets or earn an income along with the other women whom I work with?’”

Ferhana, working in her clothes shop in Kabul.

With six children to support and as sole breadwinner, she needs an income.

However, she lives in fear of repercussions.

"I cannot let [fear] affect my work, as I am responsible for my family,” she says. “It is with this powerful motivational thought we have been standing up to them whenever they have closed our shops.

"Before this regime, my business was good, my income was enough, I could enrol [my children] in several courses. But now as income has decreased because less customers come to my shop, I can no longer afford their courses.”

In Afghanistan today, girls and women are denied education beyond primary level, and are prohibited from accessing public baths, parks, and gyms, and moving freely around the country.

Women have also been barred from working in charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by the Taliban, including in humanitarian organisations. Previously, women who wanted to work in any job had to be accompanied at all times by a male chaperone if they were required to leave the house.

At the time of the Taliban takeover, in the summer of 2021, Tasneem was approaching the end of her degree course in English Literature. She hopes in future she may be able to study for a Masters degree overseas, before returning to Afghanistan where she wants to work helping underprivileged women.

Now, she works in secret as a newspaper reporter.

“I don’t tell people that I am a reporter in my community,” she says. “I try to research the person I’m interviewing to ensure that they aren’t putting me at risk. But we still face numerous challenges. The Taliban forbids showing our faces while working, and because people fear the Taliban, it prevents many from wanting to be interviewed by us.

"In challenging situations, we identify women facing difficulties and secure their consent for interviews, ensuring their privacy and safety. We don’t have proper equipment. But we try our best to fulfil our mission which is to shed light on the struggles of Afghan women and we seek support from the global community.”

She adds: “Women in Afghanistan are not safe even in their own homes. So I have to fight for the future of Afghan women. I must be their voice and I must raise the voice of those who don’t have access to the media.”

In rural Laghman province, Tahira, 43, lives with her six children and blind mother.

"My biggest wish is to see my children educated and have enough food to keep their stomachs full," says Tahira.

"But these simple wishes seem far-reaching to us.”

Tahira herself is illiterate and was forced to pull out her second grade daughter from school after girls were banned from education. She was also prevented from working and relies on her young sons to bring in money for the household.

They can see only by torchlight after dark, since a small solar panel was destroyed during a conflict in their village, while a roof in their home caved in after heavy rains, burying their belongings.

The family lives on a limited diet of vegetable pottage, okra, boiled yogurt, and vegetables.

"Sometimes I and my mother don’t eat as there isn’t enough food,” she says.

Also in Laghman province, widow Karima’s ten year old son and his 12-year-old brother are forced to sell snacks rather than attend school to earn the bare minimum to keep the family afloat, earning just $1 a day.

"Despite their hard work, it is still not enough to meet our most basic needs,”.

“Our lives have been marred by hardship ever since the Taliban came. Work opportunities are scarce, and Taliban laws make it even more challenging for women to contribute to the household income.

"My daughters always express their desire to go to school. They say, ‘we don’t want a good life nor clothes or anything else, but just a chance to go to school’. But the ban, cultural taboos here and our financial situation stand in their way.”

Charities have warned that the women’s lives have become increasingly difficult since the Taliban takeover.

Laurie Adams, chief executive of Women for Women International, says: “At Women for Women International we believe that sustainable movements rise from the smallest protests that are locally led. While the international community dilly dallies over Afghanistan, Afghan women are daring to stand up for their rights with a thousand small acts of defiance, despite the risks.”

A spokesperson for Christian Aid says the organisation is working through local partners to help women create potential livelihoods, through avenues such as making confectionery, back-yard kitchen gardening and micro-poultry. It also hopes that women can potentially be trained to rear silkworms and cultivate saffron as potential sources of income.

He says: “Though it’s a hugely challenging context we are continuing to support poor and marginalised communities in Afghanistan through our local partners, while building positive relationships within communities.

"Our earlier experiences of livelihood creation gives us confidence that such micro support will help local communities and reduce the negative impact of the current humanitarian crisis.”

*All names have been changed