Five years after August 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the lives of Afghan women and girls have become a painful symbol of how quickly rights can be taken away. For many women, dreams of education, work and independence have been replaced by restrictions, fear and uncertainty.
Girls have been stopped from continuing their education beyond the early years of school. Women have also faced severe restrictions on employment and their participation in public life. Many women who were once teachers, doctors, journalists, lawyers and government workers have been forced to leave their professions. A generation of young girls is growing up with fewer opportunities to study, build careers and make choices about their own lives.
The restrictions affect not only women but entire families and society. When women cannot earn, families lose an important source of income. When girls cannot study, the country loses future teachers, doctors, scientists and leaders. A society cannot truly progress when half of its population is prevented from contributing fully.
Another serious concern is the loss of safe spaces and support systems for women facing violence. Women who are already vulnerable may find it even harder to seek help or justice. Economic dependence can make their situation more difficult.
Yet Afghan women should not be seen only as victims. Their courage is remarkable. Despite the restrictions, many continue to find ways to learn, work, support other women and raise their voices. Some teach children secretly; others work from home or find other ways to remain financially independent. Their determination shows that the desire for knowledge and freedom cannot easily be silenced.
The international community must therefore continue to listen to Afghan women. Their rights should not disappear from the world’s attention simply because the crisis has continued for several years. Education, dignity, freedom and the right to participate in society are not special privileges. They are basic human rights.
Afghanistan’s situation is particularly severe, but women everywhere face challenges, though in different forms. In some countries, women still struggle for education and freedom of movement; in others, the problems are unequal pay, limited political representation, domestic and sexual violence, child marriage, poverty, discrimination at work or unequal access to healthcare. Women in different continents may live very different lives, but their fundamental hopes are similar—to be safe, educated, respected and free to make decisions about their own lives.
The struggle of Afghan women should therefore make the whole world reflect: when women’s rights are threatened anywhere, it is a concern for women everywhere.
Avtk’ A’nand Prabha A’c
