Afghan women describe life under five years of Taliban rule
Women and girls in Afghanistan have described their lives as unrecognisable five years after the Taliban returned to power. In accounts gathered across the country, from Kabul to rural areas, they said restrictions on education, travel and daily life have reshaped almost every part of their existence. The report presents a long-running human-rights crisis rather than a single new event, but it captures how deeply the rules continue to affect ordinary life.
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The Taliban regained control in 2021, two decades after being removed by a US-led military coalition, and the report says the rights of Afghanistan's 22 million women have been eroded since then. Girls over the age of 12 are barred from school, travel without a male chaperone is restricted, and a law has been introduced that implies legal approval for child marriage. The Taliban's foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was asked about the restrictions and said women are not totally restricted in all walks of life.
The impact described by women in the report is broad and personal. Many said they have had to hide their identities for fear of reprisals, and some said poverty and daily hardship have pushed education and future plans aside. One woman, Ela from Kabul, said survival has become the priority and that many women no longer have the time or energy to think about the future.
Another, Shakiba, said the anniversary of the government's fall remains the most painful day of her life. The situation matters because Afghanistan is now the only country in the world where girls are officially banned from secondary and higher education. That makes the restrictions not only a domestic rights issue but also a point of international concern over the direction of the country under Taliban rule.
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The report also underlines the limits on independent reporting, saying only a few media organisations have been able to maintain access to Afghanistan since the takeover. The women interviewed said the restrictions reach into education, movement, work and family life. One account described a law that could affect child marriage, while another said the loss of schooling has made long-held ambitions feel impossible.
Shakiba said she completed secondary education online, which she called a very important victory, but added that her dream of becoming a pilot now feels out of reach. Her comments reflect a wider pattern in which personal aspirations are being narrowed by official policy. The report also places the current restrictions in the context of the Taliban's return to power in August 2021.
It says the group has steadily tightened controls since then, reversing gains made by many women and girls over the previous two decades. The anniversary of the takeover appears to carry particular emotional weight for those interviewed, who described it as a moment when hopes and plans were abruptly taken away. What remains unclear is whether the Taliban will alter its position on girls' education and women's mobility, or whether the restrictions will continue to harden.
The report suggests that many women are still trying to study, work and speak out despite the risks, but it does not indicate any immediate policy change. The next developments to watch are any further statements from Taliban officials and whether international pressure leads to any shift in the rules affecting women and girls.
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