A screenshot from the YouTube trailer for “Thunder of Clouds: What Women Can Do” A documentary about Afghan women activists and refugees.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 has had a devastating impact on millions of women and girls in the country, curtailing their fundamental rights and freedoms. In the last four and a half years, women and girls have been banned from obtaining secondary and higher education, working in multiple sectors, leaving home on their own, visiting public spaces, and even raising their voices in public. 

The situation surrounding girls has been steadily deteriorating. They now have access only to six years of primary education, which has ended the educational and professional aspirations of nearly 2.2 million girls. 

There has also been an increase in child and forced marriages since the Taliban takeover. A problem that existed before but grew worse in the face of economic and security precarity brought by the new regime. 

Sadly, once they grow old, girls will be subjected to even more forms of discrimination, which Afghan women face. Their social and economic lives have been systematically and increasingly limited by the Taliban. 

Women have been banned from working in the public sector and NGOs, forcing them to take on low-paid and short-term jobs. Additionally, the Taliban have shut down beauty salons and banned women from going to parks and gyms. Even to leave the confines of their homes, they must be accompanied by a male guardian.      

These all-encompassing restrictions have had a devastating toll on the mental health of women and girls, evidenced by the steep increase in the use of antidepressant and painkiller medication and smoking. 

Despite all these challenges, Afghan women and girls remain resilient and make the most of whatever opportunities remain available, including participating in online classes and setting up small businesses. 

In this special coverage, Global Voices is publishing stories of young women and girls (aged between 13 and 25) from Afghanistan, who share how the Taliban restrictions have affected their lives, how they have adjusted, and what hopes they bear for the future. The stories have been translated into English and edited for clarity.