As the Taliban enters its fourth year back in power, women across Afghanistan face systematic repression and bans in every sphere of life—from education and employment to public visibility and social participation. According to data from UNESCO and UNICEF, more than 2.2 million girls were deprived of their right to education between 2021 and 2024, while young women’s participation in the workforce has been virtually eliminated. Violence against women, forced marriages, erasure from public spaces and strict control over their bodies have formed the core of the Taliban’s governing policies.

 

The past four years have also brought a severe humanitarian and psychological crisis for Afghan women. Limited access to healthcare following earthquakes and natural disasters, the forced return of refugees, and rising gender-based violence have made the country increasingly unlivable for women. During this period, “suicide” rates and mental health crises in Afghanistan have reached some of the highest levels globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in every five people in Afghanistan experiences a mental health condition. Despite the risks and restrictions, women continue to resist for a better future through secret classes, underground networks and protests.

 

Pashtana Durrani—women’s and children’s rights activist, education advocate and founder of the civil society organisation Learning for Empowerment and Advancement of Nutrition (LEARN)—spoke to Mezopotamya Agency (MA) about the scope of Afghan women’s struggle on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November.

 

NO LEGAL PROTECTION OF ANY KIND

 

Stating that women and girls in Afghanistan are treated as second-class citizens and denied access to public life, Pashtana Durrani said women have been reduced to “mere reproductive machines.” She added: “They are only considered 'safe' inside their homes, and even then, if they face domestic or verbal abuse, they have no protection. Afghan girls not only cannot attend school, cannot work, cannot take a walk in public, or appear on a screen to give an interview, but they are also unprotected by any law or mechanism.”

 

Durrani noted that since the Taliban reclaimed power, girls in Afghanistan have been barred from attending school beyond sixth grade. “That alone says a great deal about the state of Afghanistan and the regime currently in power. Beyond that, female suicide rates are at their highest in Afghanistan. Mental-health crises are also at their highest levels; Afghanistan currently ranks at the top globally. And gender-based violence against women has increased dramatically over the past four years," she said. 

 

FORMS OF WOMEN’S RESISTANCE

 

Despite bans on accessing education, healthcare and employment, women are finding ways to resist, Durrani explained. She continued: “I still have students who come to our underground schools. I have teachers who continue teaching in underground classrooms. I have seen young mothers ensure their daughters receive an education. I have seen young doctors travel to disaster zones—after the earthquake about a month ago, for example—to treat affected communities simply because they believe in a different Afghanistan and because that is what they were trained to do. These are not isolated examples. One of my own students was married off to settle a debt, and there were no national or international mechanisms to protect her. But because she was a student and knew her rights, she contacted the right people; today she is continuing her education and working. Afghan women have each, in their own way, built their own form of resilience—something the world, I would say, is still too slow to recognize."

 

THE LEARN PROCESS AND EDUCATION METHODS

 

Believing in a different future for children in rural areas, Durrani founded LEARN. “These communities were often portrayed by outsiders as supporters of the Taliban. LEARN was created to challenge that narrative,” she said.

 

She recalled facing many challenges during the early years of the organisation: “I remember the times I worked openly in Afghanistan, entering schools where everyone knew me, and I knew my students—their names, their classrooms, their teachers, their stories. Those were beautiful moments. Today, it takes months of planning, effort, and security precautions just to meet students and teachers so they know I am still supporting their education. Those are difficult challenges. And, of course, working against a regime that actively suppresses girls is emotionally draining and heartbreaking. Watching potential teachers—women who could have run extraordinary schools—sitting at home is one of the saddest realities of Afghanistan today.”

 

LEARN focuses on varied modes of education, Durrani said. Alongside in-person community classes for girls, they run a radio programme reaching nearly six million listeners and a SIM card–based education programme reaching two million people. She added that they also provide education through satellite and television. “So it is not a single method; it is a system combining digital learning, community learning and underground schools,” she explained.

 

‘WE MUST BE OUR OWN SAVIOURS’

 

Criticising the international community’s stance toward the Taliban and Afghan women, Durrani said: “There was a time when I felt deeply disappointed by how the global community reacted. At first, they declared they needed to 'save Afghan women,' and then later attempted to whitewash the Taliban. The global community always has an agenda. One day the agenda is to save Afghan women; the next day it is to sanitize the Taliban; the third day it is to promote or recognize them. But for the people of Afghanistan—especially young women—the agenda is simple: we need to be our own saviors. We must make our own decisions—not the men around us, not the global community, not international organizations. Until this is recognized, progress will be difficult. I also acknowledge that many incredible Afghan women leaders have been working tirelessly to ensure that we understand this message—and it is because of them that I can say this today. In the long run, if Afghan women rise to a point where we speak for ourselves, make our own decisions, and refuse to let the international community impose agendas on our bodies and minds, then we can begin negotiating our own rights.”

 

‘CHOOSE WHAT IS RIGHT’

 

Issuing a call to the global community to “choose what is right,” Durrani said: “Half of Afghanistan’s population is starving, suffering mental-health collapse, experiencing the highest suicide rates, and has been out of school and out of legal employment for four years. This is a shame—a shame inflicted on Afghan girls and women as a result of a war initiated by foreign powers and the political mistakes that followed. A nation cannot be deprived of its rights because of other countries’ poor decision-making. Anyone with a conscience—regardless of nationality, religion, or region—should recognize that what is happening to Afghan girls and women is wrong. Those who acknowledge this should support any mechanism that ensures Afghan girls can access learning, opportunities, and safe spaces. It comes down to doing the right thing.”

 

A CALL TO WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD

 

Emphasising that women across the world must support one another, Durrani said global solidarity is essential: "Gender-based violence is only one part of the issue. We also face early childhood marriages, teenage pregnancies, abuse of young girls, trafficking, older women lacking access to healthcare, and the gender pay gap. There are multiple challenges simply because we were assigned a particular gender. The best thing we can do now is not only to uplift ourselves but also uplift those around us who may need that sisterhood the most."

 

MA / Hivda Celebi