Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, more than 80 decrees have been issued against women and girls. The country’s female population of 20 million now faces severe restrictions in all aspects of their lives; from the initial ban on education for girls after 12 years of age to the latest outrage, confirmed in August by the Taliban’s leader Mullah Hibatullah, that prohibits women from speaking in public.
The hidden plight and enduring fight of Afghan women
Banned from much work, high school and speaking in public, women are subject to ever-worsening oppression at the hands of the Taliban. Zahra Joya meets the activists staging small acts of resistance against this ‘gender apartheid’.
