The First Changes for Women in Kabul After Taliban Control

The arrival of the Taliban to Accept, the capital of Afghanistan, aroused fear in citizens, mainly in women.

With the return of the Taliban to power 20 years later, women in Afghanistan have fear of losing the social and economic rights that they have gained in the last two decades.

The Taliban impose a radical and restrictive interpretation of Islamic law that severely restricts women’s rights.

These are some of the changes already observed in Kabul against women in the early days of Taliban control.

No women on TV

Afghanistan’s main television channels continue to broadcast after the Taliban came to power.

However, there are notable differences, such as the fact that no female presenters on screen, as detailed by the BBC Monitoring service.

It is also noted that there is a large increase in favorable comments and very little criticism of the Taliban on channels such as the state-run National Afghanistan TV and the private Tolo News, Ariana, Shamshad and 1TV.

State television, which has been run by the Taliban since the night of August 15, has largely been broadcasting religious programs.

For its part, most of the Tolo News and 1TV grid has been repeating programs broadcast on Sunday, possibly due to difficulties at work.

However, Saad Mohseni, owner of Moby Group, which includes Tolo TV and Tolo News TV, said in a tweet: “I can assure you that our people are doing well and that we have continued our uninterrupted broadcast during this’ transition.”

Moby Group is the largest generator of entertainment, news and current affairs programs in Afghanistan.

Also, Shamshad TV, owned by a former presidential aide, was broadcasting pro-Taliban content.

In one program, the channel’s correspondent showed Kabul residents celebrating that the group would bring security and unity to the country.

No dresses, no makeup

Following the Taliban’s advance in Afghanistan, many social and economic rights achieved over the past 20 years suddenly came to an end, several Afghan citizens told the BBC.

And reports of cuts to women’s freedoms are no exception.

“There are many restrictions now. When I go out, I have to wear the burqa (the suit that prevents the complete view of the woman’s body), as ordered by the Taliban, and a man has to accompany me, ”said a midwife from Ishkamish, a rural district with few services. , in Takhar province, on Afghanistan’s northeast border with Tajikistan.

In the first two days of the Taliban’s arrival in Kabul, the streets of the capital also begin to show signs of these restrictive changes for women.

Photos on social media show that stained glass windows with images of women without a veil, with makeup and in party dresses were being torn off or covered with paint.

• What is it like to be a woman under the Taliban in Afghanistan?

“I don’t know what our future will be like”

Many women in Kabul feel fear and hopeless.

A young woman – who preferred not to identify herself – described the city as “Silent”. The Taliban rule the city and everyone is home, he told the BBC.

“I had many plans for my future, but now I can’t go to work or college.”added.

“I don’t know what our future will be like. This has made me lose hope. I am looking for a way out of Afghanistan because there is no hope for women. “

For her part, Aisha Ahmad, who studies computer science at Kabul University, ended up beaten on Sunday by crowds trying to catch a flight from the capital’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.

“The crowd was pushed by the police, children and women were on the ground, I hurt my hands, feet and knees,” the 22-year-old told the PA news agency.

After not being able to board a flight, Ahmad asked on social media that some country give him asylum so he can finish his education, which he no longer believes is possible.

“I have lost hope and I think it will not be an easy road,” he said. “I feel like I’m in a tunnel… I can’t see any bright light and I don’t know how long the tunnel is, ”he added.