Summary

  • Women from across Afghanistan have been telling us about their daily lives under Taliban rule

  • A dressmaker, a teacher, a karate trainer, an audiobook narrator, a religious school teacher and a one-time national team golfer are among those we'll hear from today

  • Since seizing power in 2021, the ultra-conservative rulers have restricted women’s lives, closing most secondary schools to girls

  • Women have been banned from going to university, stopped from entering parks and gyms and must observe strict dress codes

  • About half the population face acute hunger and 97% are in poverty but in December the Taliban also banned female aid workers from doing their jobs

  • The Taliban tell the BBC they will not lift the ban on female aid workers, despite the worse winter in a decade leaving at least 124 people dead

Live Reporting

Edited by Alexandra Fouché and Chris Giles

  1. Hearing from Afghan women in their own words

    Thank you for joining us today. We've been speaking to women all over Afghanistan who have told us about the way they now live after the Taliban took over more than a year ago.

    • A psychologist spoke about teaching in a secret school so young women could learn about resilience
    • One former police officer says she no longer has a specific schedule and recalled being scared to tears over whether she would make it home as the Taliban re-took Afghanistan in August 2021
    • One, a religious school teacher, has also told us about the benefits of living under the new government
    • Some charities and non-profit organisations have had to pause delivering aid in the country as Afghan women are not currently able to work with them
    • The humanitarian situation in the country is dire, and it has been gripped by freezing temperatures with at least 124 people known to have died

    This page was brought to you by Aakriti Thapar, Andrew Clarance, Mahfouz Zubaide, Jacky Martens, Sharanya Hrishikesh, Malu Cursino, Thomas Mackintosh and Gem O'Reilly; it was edited by Chris Giles, Jasmine Taylor-Coleman and Alexandra Fouché.

  2. 'Day by day the situation gets tougher for women' - psychologist

    Let's hear more from the psychologist and secret school teacher who spoke to us earlier. She has sent us a message, speaking about the sense of oppression for women in Afghanistan.

    Day by day the situation gets tougher for women… and even the people who used to laugh, they are sad now, they are afraid of it and feel like what if we cannot go outside to bring bread for our families. For example there is a woman - she sells onions and potatoes. How would she work in such a situation? What will be the current and future situation of her children?

    You can see children playing here but most of them don’t have enough clothes, shoes which are good for this winter situation.

    I miss my loud laughs and I used to go without fear anywhere and anytime, but now I’m worried that I’m not able to raise my voice…if I do, no one will notice.

  3. ‘I was the sole bread winner… now I can’t do anything’

    Earlier we brought you comments from the 23-year-old woman who worked as a police officer before the Taliban took over. She’s also a student but can no longer study since the Taliban banned university education for women last month.

    “Unfortunately, one month ago all the schools, courses, universities and organisations for the female section were closed. I was left in a world of sorrow. Since I was the eldest in the family, all the responsibilities were on my shoulders, I was the sole bread winner of my family.”

    Unfortunately, I can't do anything anymore… the only place I could be was home, the only thing I can do now is house work. I no longer have a place in the outside world.”

  4. 'This is the darkest time for women's lives' - former Afghan judge

    Former Afghan judge, Marzia Babakarkhail, who now lives in Manchester, said: "This is a shocking time and the darkest time for women, women's future and women's education in Afghanistan.

    She told the BBC's Yalda Hakim there are a lot of different organisations offering women help with online courses or school studies.

    But Babakarkhail explained many people are unable to take advantage: “There's a lack of electricity, a lack of security and safety and some of the girls are not in the position to pay their internet bill."

  5. 'It is very difficult to live in this situation' - golfer

    More now from former golfer Shaista Safi who we've been hearing from today. She's been reflecting on what life was like before the Taliban government takeover; during it and what the future holds for her and women like her in Afghanistan.

    Before the Taliban takeover, I was thinking about progress and development because, at that time, women had their rights and played an active role in society, but at the moment I am very disappointed about the future."

    In a society where women have not yet been recognized, how can I think about progress and achieving my dreams? In this situation, our only hope is Allah [God]. I miss the working environment, safe environment, security, good economy, and travelling with friends.

    I really wonder if these days will happen again. It is very difficult to live in the current situation, and only the one who lives here can understand it."

  6. 'We should start a conversation with the Taliban'

    The BBC's Yalda Hakim (left) and Mahbouba Seraj

    A women's rights activist, Mahbouba Seraj, says dialogue with the Taliban government could improve the lives of women in Afghanistan.

    "We should start a conversation with the Taliban and start a game of give and take, because this is not going the right way," she told the BBC's Yalda Hakim.

    She said women were suffering at present, because they were being used as "political chips" even if the de facto authorities said that wasn't the case.

    "We are being played that way and that, honestly, for the women of this country, is becoming absolutely unbearable."

  7. Our financial situation is deteriorating by the day - dressmaker

    Dresses produced by Afghan dressmakerSupplied

    Now let's hear again from the dressmaker we spoke to earlier. She used to be the sole earner in her family and supported her husband and children before the Taliban told her to close her business.

    I stitched different types of outfits including dresses for brides, children and local traditional clothes. I used to add tiny mirrors to clothes, sew on designs and colour patches.

    Now, I do receive calls from my customers, but I don’t have the required machines. They were too big to set up at home as we are many members living in one room. It is very difficult to get by. My husband and I are currently unemployed, and our financial situation is deteriorating by the day.

    And my daughters are also not able to support us; sometimes we receive some help from our relatives, and that’s it. It’s winter and very cold here. We have no money to eat or to pay for my sons' education. My daughters can no longer go to school or university."

  8. What is the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan?

    An Afghan worker unloads sacks of food from a Turkish aid train to Afghanistan at Turghundi border port, in Kushk district of Herat province on In this picture taken on 23 January 2023AFP

    The humanitarian situation has been steadily getting worse over recent months, and the UN said at the end of last year that nearly all of the Afghan population lived in poverty and that two-thirds needed humanitarian assistance.

    Martin Griffiths, the under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator, was in Kabul on Monday and raised concerns over restrictions women and girls faced in education and work with senior Taliban government officials.

    The UN has also previously noted that some 1.1 million teenage girls are banned from going to school, and that nearly seven million Afghan nationals remain in neighbouring countries.

  9. 'I still have hope' - author

    File picture of Afghan labourers during sunset in Mazar-i-sharif (January 2014)AFP

    Let's go back to the author who earlier told us about her heartbreak when her life changed under the Taliban, and hear about what she says of the strength she has found in showing up for herself and others.

    The sun is setting and I am watching the sunset from the floor of our house. I think about how different these days are from our previous days and how strong we are showing ourselves to everyone; even for ourselves.

    I have tears in my eyes and I think about the future; will we have a future? We are living in a country where we [don't know] what will happen to us in the morning, but I still have hope and I have to give hope to the rest of the girls by having a little hope.

    This is also a corner of the life of an anonymous writer who does not know exactly what she will do tomorrow and whether the sun of his life will rise like yesterday or the opposite."

  10. 'I am forgetting my skills - it's terrifying'

    Shaista SafiSupplied

    Shaista Safi, a 30-year-old former government worker has been sharing her story with us. A golf enthusiast, Shaista was also member of the national golf team.

    It’s 18:00 here and I have just finished evening prayers. I would watch news at this time, but there is no electricity. After browsing some social media networks we fall asleep at 22:00 or 23:00 at night.

    I used to go to gym but after closure of gyms I do some exercise in my house with help of some videos. Because health is wealth, at least I need to do these things in my house to be healthy despite being not allowed to go to parks, gym or work.

    And I am doing these things to prevent the development of my mental problems that I am facing since two years. At the moment, I don't go out much because the situation is not good. Sometimes when I go out, I get very disappointed because it's not the same atmosphere as before, nor the same security as before.

    People everywhere are upset and disappointed. I miss the golf course, the team members, the friendliness of our teacher, especially the golf bag that I carried with me everywhere. I am slowly forgetting my career and computer skills and that is terrifying me. I used to be very active before the Taliban but now I am not able to do any of them, just staying home and keeping myself busy so the days can pass."

    Golfer's apartment with no electricitySupplied

  11. 'I don't want students to forget what school means'

    Yalda Hakim
    Reporting from Kabul

    A student in Afghanistan has spoken about attending a secret school and pleaded with the country's elders to "consider the education of girls", while a volunteer at the schools has said she will not let the fear of dying if caught outdo the fear of living, on International Day of EducationPA Media

    Today is international day of education and the United Nations has dedicated it to Afghanistan’s women and girls who continue to be banned from schools and universities.

    Many young girls tell me they never thought they’d be forced to find an alternative way to learn. They have heard stories from their mothers - who lived under Taliban rule when they first came to power in the 1990s - about restrictions on education and other basic rights.

    Now, they have found themselves in the same position.

    I went to meet some female students and their teacher at a secret school in the capital, Kabul.

    They told me they are quietly studying for a future that remains unknown.

    “I find it so painful that they aren’t allowing us to return to our schools – this decision is against Islam, it’s illegal. Why can boys learn and girls can’t?” one 15-year-old student told me.

    When the Taliban swept to power again in August 2021, it quickly became clear that girls over the age of 12 wouldn’t soon be returning to their classrooms.

    Many secret schools started to emerge.

    But, a year-and-a-half later the crackdown on women and girls has intensified.

    Running these secret schools is now very dangerous. If they get caught, they could get arrested.

    Their teacher who used to be a jeweller says it is a risk she is willing to take.

    “I don’t want students to forget what going to school means. I want them to still feel they can learn -- and they should learn.”

    The Taliban government maintains that this ban is temporary.

  12. I cannot breathe when stopped at checkpoint - psychologist

    We have an update from the psychologist and secret school teacher who spoke to us earlier.

    She has sent us a message, which we have translated, in which she explains that one of the most frightening experiences for her nowadays is when the car she travels in is stopped at a checkpoint.

    You feel like you cannot breathe.

    We faced a very bad situation like it was a car full of Emirate people [Islamic Emirate is what the Taliban refer to themselves as] and they asked where are you going, what we were doing here.

    It was not like… they did not ask us to give our mobile or purse or check our purses. These things were not done but they are killing us slowly - like slow poisoning.

    Frightening us, making us feel that … I mean… creating an issue that they will not kill us with a bullet but they will kill us with the fears. What if they ask you where is your mahram? What if they ask you where have you been working?"

  13. 'I used to be able to study but tonight I will watch Breaking Bad'

    Laptop and headsetSupplied

    It is 17:30 in Kabul now, and we can bring you another woman's account of her experiences under the new government.

    An audiobook narrator tells us about what her evening looks like now compared to what it used to.

    From 18:00-19:00 first of course we'll have dinner with the household and I go to my room directly and open my laptop and watch some series or movies I have on Netflix. I will watch Breaking Bad tonight.

    I am not satisfied with my current situation because I used to be able to go out and study, but now I am completely at home and unemployed.

    There have been many changes since the arrival of the Taliban until today. I have been thinking about the past days, the days when I was with my friends and we were all busy studying to succeed and get a good grade in the entrance examination.

    I wish we could study again and continue our past activities that we used to do with great enthusiasm."

  14. Positives and negatives of life in Afghanistan - religious school teacher

    We heard earlier from Omaro-Taha, a teacher at a madrassa (religious school), who unlike most of the women we’re hearing from, says she feels freer under the Taliban. She sent us this update:

    I want to mention about some positive and negative issues. Positive things are: classes are separated for both the genders (males and females), which is more helpful for setting the atmosphere for getting education for females. Second issue is the observance of the Sharia Hejab (veil) which is key, an important and fundamental issue for organisations and government. There should some more positive things for people as well, but the important ones are these two.

    Beside the positive impacts, there are some negative impacts as well. The decrease in economical status of people, unemployment, closure of factories and the migration of our people to other countries because of having no job. These issues have impacts on morale of the people. But I am hopeful that all these issues will be solved. We are hopeful and waiting for resolving this."

  15. Why are female aid workers banned?

    One of the women speaking to us is an aid worker, and as she mentioned, back in early December, the Taliban issued an order banning women from working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

    They justified the move by saying female NGO staff had broken dress codes by not wearing hijabs (veils).

    It has been seen as a risk to urgent life-saving humanitarian operations in the country, as well as a violation of the rights of women.

    Under the Taliban, contact between women and men outside their immediate families is limited, so women are needed as aid workers and medical professionals to deliver essential services to other women.

    As our correspondent Lyse Doucet reports, there seems to be some movement.

    Within the Taliban system, some officials understand the gravity of these new rules.

    The health ministry has now clarified that women can work in the health sector where female doctors and nurses are absolutely essential. That's triggered the resumption of some vital health programmes.

    And the International Rescue Committee in Kabul told the BBC it was “taking a pragmatic approach, working with Taliban officials sector by sector”.

  16. Women across Afghanistan share their stories with us

    Today, we are hearing from women living across Afghanistan, as they share with us how their lives have changed since the Taliban took over as the de facto government.

    They have all been sending us voice notes and messages, which detail key elements of their day-to-day routines and give vivid descriptions of how their lives have changed.

    Many have chosen to remain anonymous to protect their identity.

    So far, we've heard from a psychologist, a teacher at a religious school, a dressmaker, an artist, a karate trainer and a former police officer as well as an author and an aid worker - who are based across the country.

    We're also hearing from the BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, who is reporting from the country's capital - Kabul. You can follow more of our coverage on Afghan women's hidden lives under the Taliban across BBC output.

  17. 'Now I really miss the happiness we had' - aid worker

    The aid worker has just sent us this update about her day and how it is different from when the Taliban were not in power.

    Before 15 August [when the Taliban took over], I would be at the office or doing field work at this time, and when we wanted to leave the office after 16:00, we'd walk from our office to our houses.

    It was a 30- to 40-minute walk from the office to our home, and we were enjoying the time walking and talking on our way; we would stop at cafes and restaurants to have some fun and take a break. Now I really miss the happiness we had; I even miss the boredom I had after my arrival at home.

    Now I get tired of not doing anything at all during the day. I can’t even go outside with a peaceful mind. Before the ban on women’s work, we would leave the office at 16:00 and drive directly home. I didn’t want to face them, so I would try to get home as soon as possible. I have no hope for my future; we are banned from doing anything but staying home and getting depressed day by day."

  18. Aid worker who can no longer help those in need

    Aid workerSupplied

    Women from all walks of life have been affected since the Taliban takeover, including one aid worker from one of the poorest and most remote regions of the country. She says she’s been unable to carry out her work since restrictions were imposed on female aid workers and says it breaks her heart every time someone asks her when they will start getting aid again

    We met different people; we would speak with women, men, children, and old people. We would ask about their problems and needs, and then we report their problems and voices to our offices. Our office was trying really hard to help them all. I was feeling glad and great to help my people.

    The salary that I was receiving monthly from our office would help me to support my family and my sisters' and brothers' education. But now that we are all at home, have lost our jobs, and are not able to go out alone or without mahram (male guardian), we should have someone from our family go out with us, like our father, brother, or husband.

    I wanted to study and get a masters, but now all my dreams are broken. We are just alive without hope. Now I spend most of my time at home. I watch films, videos on social media and Tv programmes to pass time.

    I've had several run-ins with the Taliban; whenever I go out, they stop me at checkpoints and tell me to wear a hijab and cover my face and hair. Though I have a proper hijab, they would still stop you and order you to wear your hijab properly."

  19. 'Men must stand up for women' - Afghan professor

    Yalda Hakim
    Reporting from Kabul

    Prof Ismail Mashal

    Prof Ismail Mashal, who runs a private university in Kabul, says he has had enough of the restrictions women face in Afghanistan.

    "I call on fathers to take the hands of their daughters and walk them to school, even if the gates are shut."

    Slender and well dressed, he is a mixture of defiance and raw emotion.

    "Even if they're not allowed in - they should do this daily. It's the least they can do to prove they are men," he tells me, holding back tears.

    "This is not me being emotional - this is pain. Men must stand up and defend the rights of Afghan women and girls."

    In December, the Taliban government announced female students at universities would no longer be allowed back - until further notice.

    They said they were doing this to enable them to create an Islamic learning environment aligned with Sharia law practices, including changes to the curriculum.

    Not long after the ban was announced, Prof Mashal went viral on social media after tearing up his academic records live on television, saying there was no point in gaining an education in today's Afghanistan.

    He says he won't stay silent.

    Read the full piece here.

  20. In pictures: A look at daily life in Kabul

    Everyday life for residents in Kabul looks very different since the Taliban took over in August 2021.

    The BBC worked with a female photographer to capture the changes on the street.

    Two women in Kabul walking alongside a car with male passengersNava Jamshidi

    Many women already wore the burka or face veils, but the Taliban tightened their rules on face coverings

    Men in Kabul stand around a fire on the streetNava Jamshidi

    Women have been banned from many public places in Afghanistan

    Two women wearing face coverings in KabulNava Jamshidi

    The Taliban have introduced more hardline measures for women since taking over

    A woman in Kabul wearing a white face veilNava Jamshidi

    Any woman repeatedly not complying with wearing a face veil in public could see their male relative jailed or sent to court

    A woman wearing a head covering walks with her child in KabulNava Jamshidi

    In cities like Kabul, some women cover their hair with a scarf, with some relatively recently adding a Covid-style face mask too