As Afghan women and girls are erased from society, the UN in Afghanistan stands with them

IOM

“Women are half of a country, and we were not born to stay at home, cook or give birth. Let us work, let us learn, let us live!”

“To all women, remember: the tree that survives the rumble will become the strongest tree in the ground.”

I am one of the women aid workers in Afghanistan and, like all the other women staff, this ban (editorial note: the ban on women working in non-governmental organizations) really had an impact on my life. It causes me a lot of psychological pressure. I didn’t even know how to deal with it. It’s a nightmare.

It is so unfair to be deprived of your rights because of your gender. Working is not only my dream or a human right, it is also the way I support my family.

Even before the ban, as a woman employee, I faced many challenges. The security situation in the country has always been bad. It's not just the challenges of movement or the problems with the hijab, overall, it was already a struggle.

Earlier last year there was a shooting in our province, we were in the field and while community members were fighting with each other - one of them started shouting next to us: ‘Where are the women staff? Tell me! I will kill them! Where are they?’ We were petrified.

Since the ban, we are stopped at checkpoints even more than before, and I fear these checkpoints because when they stop me, even though I have a United Nations Identity Card and a permission letter, they still disrespect us and threaten us.

But now, I'm done complaining. I am angry. Women are half of a country, and we were not born to stay at home, cook or give birth. Let us work, let us learn, let us live!

To all women, remember: the tree that survives the rumble will become the strongest tree in the ground!

IOM

“When I go outside, I'm afraid. I am afraid that they will stop me and beat me.”

The de facto Taliban authorities' decree banning women [from working in non-governmental organisations] has a psychological impact on me. I am afraid. I am afraid that if I am not allowed to work, how will I support my family?

Right now, I am the main breadwinner of my family. We are not in a good economic condition and my job is what gives us a stable livelihood.

Even though I could send my children to school to continue their education, they would have required stationery, school fees, transportation costs, and so on.

This ban made me lose hope in what I envisioned for my children's future.

I don’t have a mahram available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Apart from doing my work, I am living in a society where I must go out and buy our family basic needs, such as food, clothing and so on. When I go outside, I'm afraid. I am afraid that they will stop me and beat me.

On top of that, as a female aid worker, I am worried about being stopped and questioned at the Taliban checkpoints. I feel stressed and anxious every time.

I call on the international community to not abandon Afghan women and girls who are the victims of these bans and discriminatory rules.

Millions of girls are banned from attending schools and universities and working with humanitarian organizations.

I am worried this ban will encourage even more gender-based violence and forced marriage. It will exacerbate food insecurity and malnutrition as the lack of female participation in the workforce will mean women and children will never access to these essential services.

The international community must stand for Afghan women's rights and engage in dialogue with the Taliban to reverse these bans so that women and girls can go to work and universities.

This is having a toll on me psychologically. I am worried about my children's future. If the bans continue, I will consider migrating abroad to secure a safe future for my children.

I feel depressed. As an aid worker, I don't feel safe, and I am afraid for my life. I am worried that I might be targeted because of my job.

IOM

Women should not be sentenced to confinement between the four walls of their homes.

The women here are heroes, not just because of their work or their success, but because they are women in Afghanistan, and that will make them heroes for eternity.

Let's all try together to build a bridge of knowledge firmly, so that tomorrow Afghanistan is not source of darkness, ignorance, and illiteracy.

Women's rights are recognized and protected in Islam and by the international community. Women should not be sentenced to confinement between the four walls of their homes.

Afghanistan had a poor record in women's rights, and it became worse after the Taliban takeover. It started with abolishing the Ministry of Women's Affairs, to making it clear that women have nowhere to go to if they encounter any problems.

As an Afghan woman, I am the victim of these bans and discriminatory rules. I fought -despite all the difficulties- to be educated and serve my country. I don't want to believe that all of that will be in vain.

Women are now required to have a mahram whenever they go out. What if there are simply not enough men to accompany each girl or woman in the family? What if they don't have a father? What if their brothers are underage? Where can women -who are in such situations- find a mahram?

Women are now banned from working. They are not allowed to go out on field missions. Women cannot even use the public transport system in a country that is facing extreme poverty. Unfortunately, the men in our families including the father, husband and brothers are not willing to defend our rights. They threaten and oppress us more instead.

There's a lack of women professionals in many sectors, and with these bans, there will be even fewer educated women. There will be no more women who will graduate to become teachers and doctors. This is a painful situation to endure.

This is the greatest persecution of women in the world. The bans will also destroy children's future, and it will result in an ignorant and poor society where early marriage is prevalent and women's rights are not protected. Ignoring women means removing half of the population, which will make the remaining half weak and hopeless.

But people who read books will never be enslaved. Let's all try together to build a bridge of knowledge firmly, so that tomorrow Afghanistan is not source of darkness, ignorance, and illiteracy.

We should never give up. No matter how desperate we are. The women here are heroes, not just because of their work or their success, but because they are women in Afghanistan, and that will make them heroes for eternity.

UNHCR

“I want to serve as a role model and motivate the girls to stay in school.”

I grew up as a refugee in Peshawar. My father was a teacher in Afghanistan and encouraged everyone in the family to study hard. After returning to Afghanistan in 2010, I continued to learn, graduating from university with a degree in computer science. I am passionate about my studies, and I want to teach other girls to learn as well. Now, I teach English and computer science to refugee returnees like me.

I want to serve as a role model and motivate the girls to stay in school. I continued my education [despite] a lot of financial problems and cultural challenges. I feel what other girls at the school feel. I firmly believe that the computer skills and knowledge of English … can help the girls continue their education online, even at home. It will help them to access various education sources on the internet while pursuing their journey of getting educated. It will also help students to do their research and gain more knowledge on topics they are interested in.

My parents couldn’t afford even the basic life essentials, including a further education for me and my siblings. Now we have returned, I am happy. We have a decent home, and I was able to get a higher education back in Afghanistan. Seeing young girls drop out of school or prevented from going to learn due to lack of female teachers makes me feel sad.

The situation may worsen for girls and women and will also lead to early and forced marriages. I don’t receive a teaching salary, but the joy of seeing girls come to school every day is the source of my pride and satisfaction.

UNHCR

“I wanted to be a midwife because I saw many mothers and children died because there was no access to health services and no midwife in our village.”

I wanted to be a midwife because I saw many mothers and children died because there was no access to health services and no midwife in our village.

We live far away from the nearest health center and to get there, it is very difficult. The health district hospital is about 10-20 kilometers from my village, but it is hard to reach.  In the winter, access roads are closed because of snow.  One winter, I remember, five mothers were supposed to deliver. They were taken to hospital, but four died along the way.

I feel lucky to be able to continue my studies as the health sector is one area where exemptions allow women to continue working. At the same, I am sad that other women like me cannot go to school. It is not logical in the 21st century. If this situation continues, we cannot fill the gaps for a long time. Afghanistan cannot fill the gaps.

I hope this decree will be revoked as soon as possible and that activities for girls can be resumed in our schools.  Girls should have access to training at school, at university and work.

Yes, we are lucky to have this class continue, and we will continue to study hard and do our best. But still, we are concerned.  What if other restrictions are coming? We don’t have a clear future.

UNOPS

“I will continue to break stereotypes and become a role model for other women in my community.”

When I was a little girl, I was curious, innovative, and eager to bring change to the world. My dream was to use technology and innovations to build a  better Afghanistan. And my dream came true as I became a civil engineer.

I am passionate about helping Afghan women, ensuring their access to transportation infrastructure in the rural areas. Seeing a smile on their faces after completion of each project motivates me to work even harder for the development of my country.

Thanks to technology, I can freely talk with engineers, architects, clients, construction contractors and most importantly with the beneficiaries, especially women, using different online and offline networks and channels. Using engineering software has enabled me to design, manage, and define the risk for our projects which benefits millions of Afghan people. I take full advantage of the benefits offered by the digital space for connecting with women and advocating for their inclusion. I am happy to share that the women in Afghanistan are using technology too. Through the digital platform, I can stay connected with the beneficiaries in the field.

Despite all the ups and downs, all the fears and pressures, Afghan women remain resilient and committed to work harder and support each other and their communities. Being a woman engineer in the field is a tough and challenging job. I am determined to do my job to the best of my abilities.

I will continue to break stereotypes and become a role model for other women in my community.

UN Women

“No society can last long without the presence of women.”

Since the day they took power, I have not been allowed to enter my school. They are excluding us from society by not allowing us to work alongside the men. This is my worst memory. All my classmates whom I am still in touch with are in the same situation. All of them are demotivated and depressed. I have lost my self-esteem during this last year. I have noticed that people do not love Afghanistan anymore. Of course, this is our homeland, but when there are no job opportunities and one cannot provide for their family, how can they live here?

The Taliban regime started their stay in power by banning work and education for women – that is what they really are. The women of Afghanistan have not had any social role this last year.

The Taliban do not count on women at all. Although women are half the society, their will is not respected under Taliban rule.

Women’s presence is important for the development of a country, and their absence causes decadence. A society without women is subject to destruction. Afghanistan is also on the verge of destruction in the absence of women. Without women, societies are destroyed. No society can last long without the presence of women.

I am a woman and I feel bad about not being counted on and being neglected. I believe if the situation continues like this, with women being neglected, Afghanistan will collapse. Nevertheless, I still have hope. I still hope the girls’ schools will reopen and we can continue our education. Together we will reconstruct Afghanistan and live happily.

OCHA

“The ban on female aid workers felt like the final nail in our hopes of seeing a change in the Taliban’s attitude towards women.

Each ban is taking away our sense of being equal human beings.”

Growing up as a young girl, especially coming from a minority group, I was determined to work hard and contribute towards the development of my family and community.

I completed my studies and returned home to work in the humanitarian sector, full of hope and enthusiasm to help my country. But with what our country has turned out to be today, all my hopes have been dashed.

Since the Taliban took over in August 2021, we have seen the space, dignity, respect, and opportunities for women shrinking and eroding. The ban on female aid workers felt like the final nail in our hopes of seeing a change in the Taliban’s attitude towards women.

Soon after the Taliban took over, my sister and I were beaten by their security forces in town for allegedly not wearing the hijab properly. From that day, I sensed the worst was coming. Since then, we have witnessed one ban after another. Each ban is taking away our sense of being equal human beings.

Restrictions on women are making life tough for families. They affect men, women, and children, even though women bear the brunt because they are the target.

When I started working, I asked my father to be my mahram [a male family member]. There was no other man in the family to help me. He escorted me to work every day and accompanied me to carry out family and personal errands.

This changed when he fell sick. He cannot go around with me anymore, but the de facto authorities still expect us to comply with the mahram requirement. They beat women for not complying with it.

I feel sad that every time we meet with fellow female aid workers, we spend most of our time crying over the tough conditions we are living under in our own country.

As young professionals, we are supposed to discuss how to improve our country. We now call these meetings ‘crying sessions.’ They help us to de-stress. It is one way we try to find healing, as it seems the Taliban are not willing to listen to us, their people.

We do not see a brighter future if we are not allowed to participate in life and society.

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Names, locations, and course of events have been changed in this article to ensure the safety of the Afghan woman featured. The content of the stories does not necessarily represent the views of the United Nations or affiliated organization.