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Meet eight Afghan women still fighting for their rights in face of Taliban repression. Interviews and photos by Angelo Calianno
Six months have passed since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. When news broke in August 2021 that “God’s students” were returning to Kabul, women were the first people to run to the airport with a suitcase in their hands. The memory and terror of the regime of 20 years ago, of the people who imposed the burqa and stoned women in stadiums, was very alive in everyone’s mind.
In that chaotic flight to the airport, about 125 thousand people were evacuated. But thousands failed to catch those planes. The Taliban, out of necessity, has since allowed some women to return to certain jobs such as women’s and pediatric wards in hospitals, or elementary schools.
But what happens to those women who cannot get out of Afghanistan: those women who were the only economic support for families and who can no longer work: those women who live with the fear of leaving the house alone: teachers, students, lawyers, women who worked in the media, sports and politics; where are they now and what do they do?
These are some of their stories.
Arzo
Arzo is 24 years old and disabled, having lost a leg as a child to polio. She is now a physiotherapist at the International Red Cross, where she deals with the rehabilitation of women and children who have lost a limb due to a bomb, illness, or a violent attack.
Arzo was also a promising wheelchair basketball player and a member of the Afghan team who starred in the Asian Games. Fortunately, Arzo still manages to work, as the Red Cross is an international institute – but being a woman, she is no longer allowed to play basketball. The Taliban consider some activities, such as sports, as exclusively male prerogatives and see the “invasion” of these fields by women as a threat. Some Taliban Groups even believe that a woman can get pregnant simply by playing sport.
“When the Taliban arrived, I ran to the airport but I couldn’t catch the plane,” Arzo told me. “I stayed there for two days, waiting and in all that chaos, I lost my bag which contained many precious memories. I am very afraid for my future, I had dreams, hopes, but now I cannot think of anything. I only think about the restrictions that have been imposed on us and I wonder if it will ever change.”
Farahnaz, Sakina & Atifa
Farahnaz is a student who was three years old when she lost the use of her legs. The Taliban fired rockets near her home during an attack, knocking down a wall that fell on her legs. Farahnaz and her family are Hazaras, the ethnic group most targeted by the Taliban, especially because they are of the Shiite faith.
Before August, most of the attacks by the Taliban targeted the Hazara neighbourhood, their mosques and Shiite schools. Today, with their r