After two years since the Taliban took back to power in Afghanistan, afghan life has changed, particularly for women. Ahead of the anniversary of Kabul’s fall, four Afghans share their experiences.
Two years since the Taliban stormed back to power in Afghanistan after 20 years of war against the United States and its allies, life has changed dramatically for many Afghans, particularly women.
Ahead of the August 15 anniversary of the fall of Kabul, four Afghans, a businesswoman determined to keep her factory open, a farmer relieved by the war’s end, a former Taliban fighter proud to serve the new government, and a medical student forced to give up her studies, shared how the changes have impacted them.
Working to keep her business afloat
Arezo Osmani was “terrified and sad” when the Taliban returned to power, promising the imposition of a stringent interpretation of Islam that has seen women barred from many avenues for work and education.
“I didn’t leave my room for ten days; I thought that everything was over for me and that it was the same for all Afghans,” said Osmani, 30, who started a company producing reusable sanitary pads in 2021.
“But when I went out and saw that people were still going about their lives, it gave me hope, and I told myself that I had to stay here too,” she said.
She shuttered her business, which had employed 80 women at its peak, amid the uncertainty that gripped the country in the wake of the Taliban takeover.
But she reopened its doors two months later, as it was one of the few remaining places “where women could work.”
Under the Taliban, women have been pushed out of most NGO and government jobs. Last month, beauty parlors, another key source of income for women breadwinners, were also shut down.
But a reduction in NGO activity in the country under Taliban authorities has hit her business hard, she said. She still employs 35 women, but buyers are scarce.
“At the moment, we have no contracts, no buyers… if we are not able to sell the pads, it will be difficult to continue the work, but we are trying to stay on our feet,” said the mother-of-two.
Despite the challenges, she is determined to do what she can for her country, its women in particular.
The farmer trying to assemble ends meet
Rahatullah Azizi is grateful for the improved security that has come with the end of the fighting. Now, as the 35-year-old tends his small farm in Parwan province, north of Kabul, he can “move around day and night without worries, thank God.”
“There’s been a lot of change” since August 2021. “Before it was war, now it’s calm.”
Afghanistan’s economy, already battered by decades of war, has been mired in crisis after billions of dollars in international aid were cut following the Taliban government’s takeover.
Economic output has collapsed, and nearly 85 percent of the country lives in poverty, according to the latest report from the UN Development Programme. Drought and locusts have also plagued the country’s crops.
He used to earn an income from cereal crops, he said, but no longer.
“I now have just enough to eat; I can’t put any money aside,” added the farmer, who holds out hope he can send his children to university to get the education he never had.
The Talib fighter-turned-policeman
For 23-year-old Lal Muhammad, the return of the Taliban to power has brought more economic stability.
He joined the group four years ago when membership meant being a rebel fighter regularly away from home.
Now, he is a police officer in the country’s second-largest city, Kandahar, and earning a salary of around 12,000 afghanis ($142) per month, “enough” for his family.
“My dream was to study and serve in the Islamic Emirate government. I’ll stick with it till the end,” said Muhammad, using the Taliban authorities’ name for the government.
The ex-medical student searching for a new future
Hamasah Bawar once envisioned her future in Afghanistan in the medical field. Since the Taliban took over and barred women from universities, she only sees hope outside the country.
“If a girl is educated, her whole family will be educated; if a family is educated, the whole society will be educated… If we are not educated, a whole generation will be left illiterate,” said a 20-year-old resident of Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, who had won an internship at a clinic quickly closed down under the Taliban government.
“Because I want a better future for my education, I have no other choice but to leave Afghanistan.”
“It’s not only what I want; all the girls and women of Afghanistan want their freedom back.”
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
