The situations of women in Afghanistan can be said to have become worse with the increased activities of the Taliban government to clamp down on women who engages in any acts or activities in the restriction list which most importantly include education and public work place for girls as well as women.

It will be recalled that The US government made a sudden withdrawal from occupying Afghanistan after several years of occupation of the country giving the chance for the notorious Taliban government to take back the control of the Arab Nation in 2021.

In the summer of 2021, Afghan citizens and the whole world watched in horror as the Taliban’s tanks rolled into Kabul amid the United States’ chaotic final withdrawal from the country. Though, this time, the group vowed a more progressive government than its previous fundamentalist rule between 1996 and 2001, but it soon dawned on anybody with hope that the extremist government never meant any words of the promises made at a news conference held shortly after the takeover. In the news conference, Senior Taliban leadership had promised that women and girls would be protected from violence and that education would remain a right for all. Subsequent actions by the said Taliban government as days passed by showed they had come to uphold the former retrictions of the 1996 to 1997 Taliban government on the female citizens.

Taliban leadership

First, the government announced ban on girls attending schools beyond the 6th grade. No girl/woman is allowed at all to go to university and women are barred from public work places. All female citizens are banned against all forms of public engagements. They are to remain indoor, always. The government also banned all female-centered informal public activities, businesses and vocations. For instance, the beauty industry, especially, saloon parlours which according to report employed over 60,000 women was banned. Women and girls were also banned from parks and recreational centres.

Women at Kabul Park before the 2021 Taliban take over of Afghanistan

Members of the Taliban militants who visited a Park immediately after their take over in 2021

Reports have shown that the situation has brought an untold difficulties to the life of the female Afghan citizens. It has reportedly brought about an increase in the rate and level of depression.

However, those who dare to dream among the women and engage in the restricted activities for women had come under serious attack from the Taliban government. This has reportedly brought danger and threats to their lives as they live in perpetual fear.

For instance, some women who attempted to provide educational opportunities to the deprived school age girls have talked to foreign media under strict secrecy on how they organised secret schools against the Taliban restrictions which have serious threats to their lives and that of their female students.

Secret Schools organised by some courageous Afghan women to teach girls who are deprived of open education.

Fawzia Koofi who was, a women’s rights activist and politician while speaking with foreign Journalists expressed her experiences when the Taliban came into power in 1996. She described how she ran a secret school to teach girls English and sciences. She explained should could not teach more than that those subjects for fear of being discovered. She also revealed she had just been offered an admission into a medical school before the Taliban government came into power and she had to stay away from the medical school. She described females' life under Taliban government as being half-human.
“When you’re outside, the Taliban would look at you as if you are half a human being; telling you to cover your face,” she said. “It was never about what you can contribute to society or how talented you are, it was only about what you wore.” she retorted.

Fawzia Koofi, a Women's right Activist and politician. The former Afghan Parliament deputy speaker was one of those who ran secret schools to educate Afghan girls.

Efforts to make the Taliban government change its position on the gender restrictions and violation of human rights as well as other acts of violence landed on deaf ears. For instance, women who were brave enough to protest the dehumanisation they suffer under the Taliban government on 15th August 2023 were shot at by the Taliban militants.

Afghan women during protest on 15th August 2023. They were shot at by Taliban militants during the protest

In reaction to the Taliban's gender discriminatory policies, the UN in their report released in June 2023 had described the restrictions as “discriminatory and misogynistic”. The report further said the rule could amount to “gender apartheid” and a “crime against humanity.”
Also reacting, Gordon Brown, UK former Prime Minister in August 2023 had been reported by UK national daily, The Guardian to have called for the Taliban to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity, as he urged the UK government and its allies to impose sanctions against the Afghan regime.
The UK daily reported that "The former UK Labour Party Prime Minister appealed to the international criminal court to prosecute those responsible for the “systematic brutalisation of women and girls”.

Former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown called for prosecution of the Taliban government for its gender apartheid and crimes against human rights

It was a position like this that UN and most Western Nations took when the US government through its military invaded Afghanistan and sacked the Taliban fundamentalist government in 2001. This brought relieve for women as the emerged Afghan government overturned all the gender restrictions. In the new government, women were not just given the opportunity to exercise their fundamental human rights, women like Fawzia Koofi got a chance to be involved in political exercise which saw her becoming the first deputy speaker of Afghan parliament.

However, trouble began again with the take over in 2021 by the Taliban government, when the US withdrew her military, this time, making the situation becoming worse off for Afghan women.

Afghan Militant standing guard against women

Fawzia like other women who had the opportunities had to run out of the country, some into exile to escape attacks and threats to life as well as the toutorous life stamped on women by the Taliban government in Afghanistan. hoping that one day, there will be an end to the Taliban control, so Afghan women can live normal life.