Letter submitted by Yal Bano, a WoLF member who lives in Afghanistan

Introduction

Under the Taliban control, the rule of law has no meaning. It isn’t even clear what “the law” is.

It’s been just over 470 days since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. And the Taliban decimated the rights of women and girls to education, work and free movement. Afghanistan is not the only country in the world where women’s rights are being rolled back.  But what is happening in Afghanistan is an alarm bell for all of us because it shows how decades of progress on gender equality and women's rights can be literally wiped out in months.

As you watch or read the news about women's rights in Afghanistan, unfortunately it is all correct news; it is a very sad picture of Afghan women for the world to see. Today, Afghanistan is at a critical juncture. Every situation is even more horrible than the news reports, but under the Taliban control YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMPLAIN. In today’s report I would like to share the all facts which are happening and women are face with that every day.

In general there is nothing normal.

The very horrible news is, that the Taliban considers women’s right in two categories: first, an essential right and second, a sub-essential right.

Unfortunately, Afghanistan is the only country in the world in which women don't have access to their essential rights such as education or work or free movement. And regarding sub-essential rights, I see that there are 1,000 unsolved problems of Afghanistan women, but because of restrictions on women from different sides, women can't tell or share their stories to other women. And in other side, there is no ear to hear the women’s problems. I, as a lady of Afghanistan, have exactly the same pain which all women have in here.  And I fully understand how this is hard; because of restriction on our gender we can't study or work or have freedom. I have a bachelor’s degree but because of restriction on Afghan women, I am jobless. I am at home all the time.

Women and Freedom of Movement

On 7 May 2022, the de facto authorities issued a directive requiring all women to wear Islamic hijab and fully cover their body from head to toe except the eyes when outside the house. Women cannot not leave their homes except in case of necessity. Violations of this decree lead to punishment of male relatives, essentially making male relatives responsible for enforcing the hijab decree. This directive reinforces the dominance and control of men over women's lives. Earlier decrees related to freedom of movement escalated in severity, included requiring a mahram (male relative chaperone) to travel with women for any trips further than 45 mile from home. Women living with disabilities and female – headed households are the most impacted by the mobility restrictions.

In practice, restrictions on women’s freedom of movement often go beyond what is prescribed in decrees. Women report that their families, communities and employers are limiting movement of women and girls. This demonstrates how fear of consequences for transgression can be enough to separate women from men.  

The Taliban have enforced increasingly strict guidelines on permissible clothing for women and girls. Zianab, a 27 years old women, shared her reaction to the decree: “Why would we cover our faces and hide who we are? I have worn a [head scarf] all my life, but I do not want to cover my face. I can’t breathe now that I’m trying to talk about covering my face.”

Women’s Participation in Public and Political Realms

Unfortunately life, studies and education all at the same time have lost their color.

All representatives of the de facto authorities are men. Women have been removed from public service positions except when they cannot be filled by men in education, health services and certain element of policing. In some cases, they are being asked to send male relatives to replace them. The Ministry for Women’s Affairs, including its provincial offices and the Afghanistan independent human right commission, were abolished in September 2021 and May 2022.

The Taliban de-activated the country’s gender equality and women’s rights machinery. The Taliban reinstated the de facto Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MPVPV). This ministry was tasked with enforcing the edicts issued to ensure compliance with the Taliban interpretation of Islam law. The de facto MPVPV has taken over the former ministry of women’s building in Kabul and the department of women’s affairs across the country, sending a powerful signal that there is no room for women or entities tasked with taking gender equality forward.

Women in Civil Society

We raised our voices, so therefore women’s voices have not been silenced. But, women’s civil society has been significantly impacted since the Taliban takeover.

Many women’s rights and women-led civil society organizations have been closed in the past year. Most high profile women’s rights leaders from all walks of life fled the country following the fall of Kabul. Reports indicate that 77 percent of women’s civil society organizations are no longer running any projects in 2022. Women-led organizations that continue to operate face intimidation and threats, and significant cash and banking issues. 

Women who fled the country are also mobilizing to keep global attention on women’s rights. Women leaders have expressed frustration at the international community’s reluctance to make women’s rights a prerequisite for engagement with the de facto authorities. Women leaders have also raised concerns when all-male delegations from international communities meet the Taliban inside and outside of country. 

Afghan women have not accepted the status quo and they are finding ways to hold the Taliban to account on women’s rights. The systemic discrimination imposed by the Taliban has led to a wave of peaceful protests by women and girls across Afghanistan. The Taliban has violated the rights of these women and girls to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and subjected them to harassment and abuse during protests, including beating and electric shocks by tasers.  

On 30 May 2022, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi said, “In the past nine months, not a single woman has been imprisoned in the jails of Afghanistan either due to political opposition or raising voice against the government.”  This is not true. Based on interviews with 12 women who were involved in protests after the Taliban’s takeover, five of whom were detained. Amnesty International has found that many women protesters in Afghanistan have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment.

Women and Education

Education for all is not only a basic human right; it is the key to progress and development of a nation. In the area of education, the Taliban have prevented the vast majority of girls at the secondary level from returning to school. The Taliban government has said that the school closures are only “temporary,” while a new rollout plan in line with Islamic law and Afghan culture is decided. Schools briefly opened again in March 2022, but it was short lived, as they shut their doors once more just a few hours later, backtracking on the decision. And it’s been over one year since the school doors were closed for 1.1 million of girls over age 12 at the secondary level of school. Despite the restrictions, some students are finding ways to continue their studies.  According to reports, some 300 secret schools are reported as operating within the country, serving thousands of girls. Young girls just wanted to have a future, and now they don’t see any future ahead of them; there are millions of Afghan girls waiting for action.

At the university level, the Taliban’s harassment of female students as well as restrictions on students’ behavior, dress and opportunities have contributed to an unsafe environment where female students are systematically disadvantaged compared to male students. As a result, many female students have either stopped attending or decided not to enroll in university. Other challenges affect girls’ and women’s access to education at all levels, including restrictions on their movement, teacher shortages and students’ lack of motivation due to limited career options under the Taliban.

In addition, before August 2021, women and girl survivors of gender-based violence had access to a nationwide network of shelters and services, including legal representation, medical care, and psychosocial support. And it served thousands of women and girls each year. As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, this system collapsed. In some cases, Taliban members harassed or threatened staff. As shelters closed, staff were forced to send many women and girl survivors back to their families. Other survivors were forced to live with shelter staff members, on the street or in other unsustainable situations such as in forced marriages, including forced marriages for girls.

Afghan women urgently need health services, humanitarian assistance, and justice now. 

But even as the Taliban have prevented women across Afghanistan from working, education and freedom and told them to stay at home, women have resisted.

I am Yal Bano. I am a 26-year-old girl currently living inside Afghanistan who is not silent. I did not give up like thousands of others to work and raise my voice for Afghan women, even in a very horrible situation. 

I was very talented during school and university and I was a social worker. I was responsible for working for children, women, and disabled men in our society before the Taliban takeover.

But after August 2021 and the restrictions on women by the Taliban, I started a group called “Together We Can Make a Change,” with the help of some of my friends. From inside our homes, we work and help girls, women, and children.

When the plan was completed, including a survey of girls and women, then I shared the plan with my colleagues and some friends who were willing to support us. And my friends and colleagues shared the plan with others and their families to help and support Afghan women, girls, and children during this horrible situation.

I, along with 10 other women who all have bachelor’s degrees, started to help the students. As their instructors, we teach them different subjects via internet classes. So, currently there are 100 female students over age 12, from 7-12 grades of school; they are busy learning via the online programs.

 And also, for 50 women, their 50 families are in a very critical economic situation and they can’t work outside their homes. My friends and I collect money from our friends and families every month. Then I transfer the money to them, especially in the winter season.

On behalf of Afghan women, we never forget you as you help us in this critical time. We give special thanks to all supporters. One student needs $7 in one month for internet. So for 100 students and 10 instructors we need $770 every month. And more times we face problems because the students don’t have active internet; if there is no internet then we can’t continue our studies and program. 

Currently, 100 new students and 50 new women are still waiting for supporters. The supporters can help them during 6 months for purposes of learning and humanitarian assistance. One of our delegates collects all the money for students from all supporters. Then I send all the money to the students for their internet services.  We usually connect the women with the supporters so that the women receive directly the money from supporters, to assure the supporters that there is no corruption in our work. And we provide correct reports for both sides to the women and supporters. 

What we do for girls and women is friendly and humanitarian work. We don’t want to become famous and we don’t want to get profits. We just want to help each other and together make a positive change.

Our work is totally private, hidden and friendly inside our homes. And we all are connecting via the internet. So it’s a very safe way for us all to continue our program. This step of help for women and  girls is for the short term. In our long term plan, we have plans to work and create job opportunities for women and disabled men with the goal to increase education and decrease poverty in Afghanistan. 

A Need For Action

At the end, we all know Afghanistan women’s problems very well. So there is no need for more explanation of the problems. There is a need for action.  

“[The world] doesn’t hear or see what is happening to us, because they are not affected themselves. Only if this happened to them would they understand.”

The international community must demonstrate to Afghan women and girls that it understands their plight. International organizations must send a clear, coordinated and resounding message to the Taliban that their current policies on women and girls will never be accepted.  If the international community fails to act, it will abandon millions of women and girls across Afghanistan and embolden others to undermine the human rights of women and girls around the world. The Taliban, as the de facto authorities of Afghanistan, must uphold the rights of women and girls to access education, work, and free movement. And the Taliban must also immediately cease practices of arbitrary arrest and detention, and protect the right of all people, including women and girls, to protest peacefully. 

A note from WoLF: Yal Bano’s group is an unincorporated women's rights group that funds its services through direct donations made to group members, who are based in Afghanistan. At this time, there is no way to contribute online; if you want to support Yal Bano’s work, you can contact WoLF for more information. Yal Bano says that she appreciates you sharing her story as a way to show support for Afghan women and girls.