‘Freedom Is Not a Privilege—It Is a Right’: Afghan Women Face Unrelenting Oppression as World Marks Int’l Women’s Day
Since returning to power, the Taliban have systematically stripped women of education, employment, and public life, prompting international condemnation
[Islamabad] As the world observed International Women’s Day on March 8—a day dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements and advancing gender equality—Afghan women remained trapped in a relentless cycle of oppression.
Since 2021, they have been banned from education, employment, and public spaces, effectively erasing them from society. The freedoms they fought hard to secure have been systematically dismantled.
Girls above the sixth grade are prohibited from attending school, women are excluded from most workplaces, and severe restrictions have been imposed on dress and movement.
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has enforced strict laws silencing women by banning their voices on television, radio, and public platforms. Additionally, full-face coverings are now mandatory in public. These measures further marginalize women, reinforcing their systematic exclusion from public life
The Taliban’s so-called “morality police” enforce bans on Western-style haircuts, music, and women traveling without a male guardian. In a chilling new decree, Afghan citizens are now prohibited from building windows in their homes—an attempt to prevent women from hearing the voices of unrelated men outside.
Many Afghan women, particularly those who were their families’ primary providers, are struggling with immense stress after losing their jobs. Young girls, deprived of education and social opportunities, face an uncertain future, leaving them disheartened and demoralized.
Yet, despite these challenges, Afghan women continue to show resilience, seeking ways to hold on to hope even under severe restrictions.
A Global Focus on Afghan Women
This year, on International Women’s Day, global organizations turned their attention to the plight of Afghan women.
Activists have launched a global campaign to classify the Taliban’s policies as gender apartheid, gaining backing from the United Nations (UN) and other human rights organizations. The movement seeks to increase international pressure and keep Afghan women’s rights on the global agenda.
Roza Otunbayeva, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, commended Afghan women for their resilience.
“Despite immense challenges, they continue to lead, build, and support their communities,” she said, emphasizing the need to restore their rights and ensure they play a central role in addressing both current and future challenges.
Veronica Boskovic Pohar, the European Union’s chargé d’affaires to Afghanistan, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to education for all women and girls, calling it vital for a prosperous future.
Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, voiced his support for Afghan women enduring harsh Taliban restrictions.
“On International Women’s Day we celebrate the strength, courage, equality and achievements of women everywhere, especially Afghanistan,” Bennett wrote on X.
He has called on the UN Human Rights Council to formally recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan, arguing that Taliban policies have systematically stripped women of their rights.
UNAMA reiterated its call for the Taliban to end restrictions on women and girls. In a statement for International Women’s Day, the mission urged member states to take concrete action, amplify Afghan women’s voices, and support their leadership and resilience.
Taliban Defend Their Policies
On the other side, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that Afghan women enjoy “complete physical and psychological security” under Taliban rule.
In a statement for International Women’s Day, he asserted that the group has eliminated violence against women and safeguarded their rights within Islamic and Afghan traditions.
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Mujahid emphasized that women’s rights in Afghanistan differ from Western standards and must be viewed accordingly. He reiterated that protecting women’s dignity and legal rights remains a Taliban priority, stating that authorities have been instructed to uphold their rights in areas such as marriage, inheritance, and dowries.
For many Afghan women, however, International Women’s Day is not a celebration but a call to action. It is a day to amplify their struggles and demand global attention to their suffering.
Voices of Afghan Women
The Media Line spoke to several Afghan women who, despite relentless restrictions and hardships, remain steadfast in their fight for rights, shaping a new chapter in the struggle against oppression.
Khatool Farhood, an Afghan educator, risked everything to teach girls despite the Taliban’s ban. She had been running secret online classes from her kitchen, proving that the fight for education never stopped.
Drawing the Taliban’s attention, she was forced to abandon her home and loved ones, seeking refuge in a neighboring country for safety.
Despite immense challenges, Afghan women continue to show resilience, yet their freedoms are being systematically erased
Farhood told The Media Line, “Despite immense challenges, Afghan women continue to show resilience, yet their freedoms are being systematically erased. Schools remain closed, education is deemed unacceptable, and the world watches in silence.”
“It is time to stand together, challenge these restrictions, and amplify their voices,” Farhood urged. “Freedom is not a privilege—it is a right, and we must not abandon it.”
Forced Marriage and the Struggle for Freedom
Forced Marriage and the Struggle for Freedom
Mehria Attai, a former teacher at a government school in Kabul, lost her job when the Taliban imposed strict restrictions on women. She bravely protested alongside others in Kabul against these oppressive policies.
“My life took a drastic turn for the worse when my uncle tried to force me to marry a Taliban fighter,” Attai told The Media Line. “My father was killed during the Taliban’s first regime, and my mother suffered a heart attack from the stress. I fled to Pakistan with my sister, leaving everything behind.”
Attai emphasized that “poverty has further worsened their plight, pushing many into child marriages or exploitative labor.”
The future of Afghan women depends on global solidarity and support. If the world remains passive, they will continue to suffer under severe oppression.
She stressed, “The future of Afghan women depends on global solidarity and support. If the world remains passive, they will continue to suffer under severe oppression, denied education, employment, and basic rights.”
Attai warned that the Taliban’s restrictions have already erased millions of women from public life, confining them to their homes and silencing their voices.
However, she asserted that with sustained international pressure and tangible support, Afghan women can resist and reclaim their rights.
“Afghan women have shown immense resilience,” she concluded, “but they cannot fight alone.”
A Plea for International Action
Frishta Kargar, a former director of Bilateral Economic Commissions at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance and a women’s rights activist now based in Warsaw, Poland, told The Media Line:
“International Women’s Day honors progress in gender equality, but ignoring Afghan women’s suffering contradicts its purpose.”
Kargar emphasized that “for over three years, the Taliban have systematically erased women’s rights, barring them from education, work, and public life—remaining unmoved by global condemnation.”
She pointed out that “the Taliban’s actions deprive women of their autonomy, ignoring international condemnation to establish a regime that silences half the population.”
The Role of International Aid
Meena Wardak, a Kabul-based women’s rights defender, told The Media Line, “Despite the Taliban’s suppression of women’s rights, financial aid from other countries continues to flow.”
She noted that the Taliban are reinstating the same oppressive policies from their previous rule.
“If this continues,” Wardak warned, “conditions for women will only worsen, erasing any progress made over the past 20 years and further isolating them from society.”
A Political Strategy of Control
Nazila Jamshidi, a Washington-based expert in social justice, told The Media Line:
The repression of Afghan women under the Taliban is not merely cultural or religious—it is a deliberate political strategy to control and silence them
“The repression of Afghan women under the Taliban is not merely cultural or religious—it is a deliberate political strategy to control and silence them.”
She emphasized that weak global response signals that Afghan women’s rights are secondary to political interests, allowing oppression to continue.
Yet, she noted, Afghan women refuse to be passive victims, showing resilience through underground education, advocacy, and support networks.
“As awareness grows, international pressure can drive change,” she stressed. “Without action, Afghan women will remain trapped under oppression.”
