Summary

  • The BBC spent the day with women across Afghanistan to understand what life is like under the Taliban government since it took power in 2021

  • Taliban decrees seek to silence women in public, bar them from education above the age of 12, enforce head-to-toe coverings and restrict their travel

  • Answering audience questions, a midwife says her rural colleagues lack higher education and are not equipped for pregnancy complications, which can have tragic consequences

  • An 18-year-old, with a singing talent she is not allowed to use, tells us she feels so isolated, she uses AI as a friend to talk to

  • UN experts have warned that Taliban policies amount to gender apartheid, while the Taliban government has previously said it respects women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law

  • Many of the women we spoke to are not using their own names because they fear repercussions

Live Reporting

Edited by Flora Drury, with contributions from Aakriti Thapar and Mahfouz Zubaide

  1. How have women’s lives changed under Taliban rule?

    Two burqa-clad women. One wearing off white leans against a yellow wall. The other wearing orange crouches by a large blue gate Source: AFPAFP

    Before the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021, women and girls enjoyed relative social freedom and were able to go to school and have jobs – though they also suffered discrimination and violence.

    In the past three years, they have been barred from education past the age of 12 and have had their job options severely restricted.

    They are not allowed to be heard or seen uncovered in public, visit parks, swimming pools and gyms or travel without a male chaperone.

    According to a UN women report from August, 18% of Afghan women reported that they had not met any women outside their immediate families in the three months prior.

  2. How did the Taliban take power again in 2021?

    Chaotic scenes at Kabul airport as Afghans escapeTaliban

    The Taliban retook control in 2021, two decades after being removed from power by a US-led military coalition.

    They advanced rapidly across the country, seizing province after province before taking the capital Kabul on 15 August that year as the Afghan military collapsed.

    Foreign forces, which had agreed to leave, were stunned by the speed of the advance and had to accelerate their exit. Many Western-backed Afghan government leaders fled, while thousands of their compatriots and foreigners, fearing Taliban rule, scrambled to find room on flights out of the country.

    Within weeks, the Taliban were in control of all of Afghanistan - something they had not managed to do in their first stint in power between 1996 and 2001.

    Read more about their rise to power: How the Taliban stormed across Afghanistan in 10 days

  3. Soraya: I left behind everything I had once been passionate about

    More now from Soraya, the athlete who now has to find other ways to financially support her family.

    I wanted to escape the country, but then I decided I would not allow myself to fall. I moved from my home province to another province for my safety.

    There, I worked for two and a half years on humanitarian aid projects.

    I wanted to study further, to strengthen my English skills, and to pursue a master’s degree in International Relations. But I left behind everything I had once been passionate about.

    Under this government, all doors were closed to me. Right now, I am living without a clear plan for the future, but I still try my best to support my family. I always make an effort not to miss even the smallest opportunities.

    Life goes on.

  4. Soraya: I tried to erase all evidence I was an athlete when the government collapsed

    Many women had their dreams and ambitions curtailed by the Taliban takeover. Soraya, 29, told us she dreamed of being a professional athlete.

    Good morning! Today is Friday in Afghanistan. I just woke up and don’t have any specific plans for the day. I'm sitting with my mother, talking to her, and making plans for the upcoming Eid. In the past, I used to go on picnics with my family or friends. These days, I don’t have much to do besides housework, cleaning, and other chores.

    Since my school years, I had a great passion for running and wanted to become an athlete. In a university race, I won first place and received my first trophy - my award bore the words "Do Not Believe in Limits."

    Soraya woman from Afghanistan with her mother

    I faced many challenges, but despite all the difficulties, I kept running. I participated twice in the national team trials and won third place.

    Then, suddenly, the Afghan government collapsed. Everything fell apart. I even burned some of my certificates out of fear over the uncertainty of what might happen.

    I tried to erase every photo and piece of evidence I had. I had a certificate with the Afghan flag on it, and when my mother burned it, I cried for three days. After that, I had no place to seek justice for my dreams.

    Soraya woman from Afghanistan running in a race

  5. What is the Taliban?

    Afghan Taliban, celebrating the third anniversary of their takeover of Afghanistan, are piled into the bed of a military truck holding machine guns and flags outside the former US Embassy in KabulGetty Images

    The Taliban, or "students" in the Pashto language, emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan, following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

    The group first took power in Afghanistan in 1996 but were ousted by a US-led military coalition in 2001. Twenty years of war followed, during which tens of thousands of people were killed and millions were displaced, before the Taliban resumed control of the country in 2021.

    The Islamist group believes in an austere version of Islamic law, known as Sharia, which, alongside imposing a strict morality code on women, has involved public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers.

  6. Shakila: My life truly started in the last few years

    In the previous post we heard how Shakila starts her day. Like many of the women we will hear from today, the BBC has been checking in with Shakila over a number of weeks. Here’s her story in her own words.

    In 2021 [when the Taliban took power], I was a student at university. Today, I am the owner of a clothing store and a photographer. I started my business two years ago with 500 afghanis ($6.8;£5) that I had saved.

    My life truly started in the last few years. I began focusing on self-development, learning new skills, and discovering my interests.

    Maybe these past few years have been tough for my fellow countrymen, with the restrictions causing them to forget their hopes and dreams. But I used those limitations to push myself to progress more.

    It’s true that this period has been difficult, and I’ve experienced many ups and downs in my personal and professional life, but I’ve tried my best to learn from it.

  7. Shakila: Every morning, I write out my to-do list

    Shakila from Afghanistan

    Shakila, 24, opened a clothing store two years ago and told us how she typically starts her mornings

    I wake up at 06:00, do some exercise, then meditate and express gratitude. I write down the tasks I plan to accomplish throughout the day, then have breakfast and get ready to go to my shop.

    I clean my shop with love, and during the day, I interact with customers and prepare orders.

    Shakila from Afghanistan journal entry

    Shakila writes down her routine for 6 March

    Here is the full translation of Shakila's journal entry:

    • I will love myself and all of existence
    • I will meditate and express gratitude
    • I will iron my clothes and organize my room
    • I will get ready and do a face mask
    • I will go to the store and clean it with love
    • I will go shopping and buy clothes and mannequins
    • I will rearrange things and listen to a podcast
    • I will take care of myself (cook, write in my journal)
    • I will go to bed early at night.

  8. 'I want to be a voice for Afghan women'

    Women, with their faces covered by the burqa, hold up protest signsGetty Images

    The Taliban government has brought in a patchwork of decrees since it came to power in August 2021 impacting women's rights.

    Women who protested the decrees in the early days were rounded up, detained and even beaten, according to people who spoke to the BBC, crushing resistance.

    Since then, even more restrictions have been placed on women, impacting their ability to work, learn and go out in public.

    But these women have chosen to speak to the BBC because they still want to be heard.

    As psychologist Zarina, 24, explained to us earlier this week:

    Because I wanted to be the voice of the suffering women of Afghanistan who are still fighting and striving in these difficult times. And also, so that their voices reach the world and make people aware of their situation."

    Zarina

    Please keep following for more from Zarina, and all the other women.

  9. From Kabul to the countryside, we're hearing from women across Afghanistan

    A woman stands on the right of the frame, holding a baby who looks past the camera. They are inside a home with a rocky wall that curves into the roof, rugs cover the ground and bags hang above a mattress leaning against the back wall

    Good morning, it’s almost 07:30 in Kabul - or 03:00 in London - and we are beginning our day of coverage of the lives of Afghan women.

    We will be spending the next 12 hours speaking to women across Afghanistan - from the heart of Kabul to the depths of the countryside.

    The women and girls who are sharing their lives with us are all ages; they are businesswomen, aspiring doctors, teachers, midwives, artists and athletes.

    And they have all spent the last three-and-a-half years living under the Taliban government - a government which has barred access to school for girls over 12, which has placed restrictions on travel without a male chaperone, which has even tried to control how loud they can speak in public.

    The restrictions impact almost every part of their lives, and make it difficult to tell their stories. Many of the women we are speaking to today will not be using their own names because they fear getting in trouble.

    Today's live page hopes to give a small window on their world - as told by the women themselves.

    So please stay with us as we bring you their stories.