Beaten and scarred: In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, women leave home only once a month
The Taliban celebrates five years since returning to power in Afghanistan, while the situation for 22 million women remains dire. Following mandates for burqas and bans on work, education, and public access, half of all women report leaving their homes no more than twice a month. Only 7% of women are employed, and 70% report poor mental health.
The Islamist organization Taliban celebrated five years since its return to power in Afghanistan this weekend, against the backdrop of a harrowing UN report stating that more than half of the country's women almost never leave their homes due to severe restrictions on their public appearance.
Historical Context
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, enforcing an extreme interpretation of Sharia law that included public executions and stoning. Following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the USA, a Western coalition toppled the regime, sparking a 20-year conflict. In 2020, the USA signed a withdrawal agreement, but by the summer of 2021, as foreign forces departed, the Taliban seized control of Kabul once again.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate policy, the organization has systematically reinstated repressive measures, including mandatory burqas, bans on female employment, restrictions on public spaces like parks, and a prohibition on education for girls over 12.
"Lies, women have all their rights"
According to a report by the UN agency for the advancement of women, half of Afghanistan's 22 million women leave their homes only once or twice a month. "Half a decade after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan has systematically dismantled the rights of half its population, making it an outlier in the modern world," the agency stated.
Saif al-Islam Khyber, spokesperson for the Taliban's ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice, dismissed these reports as false. He claimed that "for the first time in about 50 years, all citizens of Afghanistan feel they are living in security and peace," adding that the situation for women is moving in a "positive direction."
However, survey data tells a different story: 7 out of 10 women describe their mental health as "poor" or "very poor," citing isolation and a lack of support. Recent decrees have further eroded legal protections, abolishing legal equality between men and women and making divorce nearly impossible for women.
Personal Tragedies
Women interviewed by the BBC describe a life unrecognizable from the past. Shkiba, who dreamed of becoming a pilot, calls August 15—the day the government fell—the "most painful day of my life." Zohal, a former news anchor, now spends her days confined to her home, stripped of her identity and career.
Others have faced physical brutality. Shaima recounted being publicly flogged after being forced to confess to "infidelity" for speaking with men outside her family. "They beat me so hard my head dropped to the ground, while hundreds of local men and children watched," she recalled.
Celebrations of the Regime
Despite the humanitarian crisis, the Taliban government held public celebrations to mark the five-year anniversary. In Kabul, parades were held, and flowers were dropped from military helicopters. Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid declared that the day would be "written in golden letters in the history of Afghanistan."
While supporters of the regime celebrate "peace and comfort," opponents remain in hiding. The country's GDP per capita is in decline, and the government has received formal recognition only from Russia. Tensions with neighboring Pakistan have also escalated, further worsening the humanitarian crisis in a country already reeling from a sharp cut in international aid.
