In August 2021, the Taliban regained control of the Afghan capital of Kabul. In the two decades that had passed since their previous rule, a generation of women and girls experienced the gradual but powerful onset of expanded rights and freedoms. After the Taliban’s resurgence, these rights were systematically dismantled vis-a-vis the regime’s strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Under Taliban rule, women and girls have been banned from secondary and higher education, excluded from most forms of employment, and required to be accompanied by male guardians in public spaces. These policies amount to a system of gender apartheid, effectively erasing women from public life and denying them basic human rights.

This is the first in a series of interviews that aims to shed light on the experiences of Afghan women and girls living under Taliban rule. Through anonymous accounts, these interviews offer firsthand insights into the daily challenges, fears, and hopes of those most affected by the current regime.

This interview was conducted by JURIST Editorial Director Ingrid Burke Friedman and an Afghan legal scholar whose identity cannot be revealed due to security concerns. As the interviewees are all women and girls currently in Afghanistan, their identities will likewise not be revealed at this time.

JURIST: Tell us about your life before the Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021.

Afghan woman: Back then, I had a great life. I was studying and working. I had my freedom. I could leave home by myself every day. I could go to the gym or to the university without a male escort. and go to the gym every day, go to university alone. I had many dreams, and because of the freedoms that I had at the time, I was set on achieving them and building a bright future.

JURIST: How did you learn about the events of August 2021, and what were your initial thoughts or reactions?

Afghan woman: In the weeks leading up to the collapse in August 2021, we were following the news every day. We kept hearing that one city after another was falling to the Taliban. But we hoped that the government would do something to defend us. We never thought they would hand over the government and the country to the Taliban.

During that frightening period, we would sit as a family and our elders would share stories from the previous Taliban regime — how they treated women and implemented their own strict interpretation of Sharia laws

The day I heard that the former President of Afghanistan had fled the country, my feelings — I can’t even describe them. I was shocked. I asked my sister twice, “Are you sure? Is that really true that the president fled the country?” For a moment, I thought about what would happen to my future, my goals, my plans. I was shocked. I was in grief. Once I realized what was actually happening I was crying like one does when they have just lost a loved one. It was a very difficult moment when we saw the picture of the Taliban in the presidential palace. It felt like our lives had reached a dead end.

JURIST: Which of the Taliban’s new policies toward women has had the most significant impact on your life, or on your family or community?

Afghan woman: It’s hard to say which policy has had the most significant impact because the Taliban has issued more than 60 decrees since they took over, and with the passage of time, they have whittled away all our rights.

For the country more broadly, the fact that women and girls from secondary school onward are proscribed from receiving an education is devastating.

For me personally, not being able to work has been incredibly trying. It’s not even just work; it’s the fact that I can’t leave my home without a male escort. And then there’s the gym — I always loved the gym; I always cared about my health and appearance, and the gym nurtured those drives. And now I don’t even have that.

Looking back on the freedoms we used to have, it’s like looking at birds with the freedom to fly wherever they choose. Back then, we could see our friends, go to the park, eat at a restaurant. These simple joys are now deemed bad for us. These simple pleasures are beyond our reach.

It feels like we’re living in a prison, locked in our homes. And predictably, the mental health consequences are visible everywhere you look.

JURIST: Can you share a story that illustrates how life has changed for women in Afghanistan?

Afghan woman: There are so many stories; life has changed dramatically for all women and girls under the Taliban. Under the former government, women and girls used to fill the streets — each morning you would see them going to work or school. Since then, we’ve been all but erased from public life.

I can share a specific story about one of my friends who was a journalist. She was a successful journalist and the breadwinner in her household. She is also a single mother. Now, without a male chaperone, she is trapped indoors nearly all the time. With her source of income cut off, she and her family have become the statistics the international organizations share about rising hunger in Afghanistan.

JURIST: Can you describe a moment when you personally felt the impact of the Taliban’s new rules most strongly?

Afghan woman: One moment that stands out was when I attempted to visit my old university to obtain copies of my documents and certificates, early into the Taliban’s resurgence. I was denied entry at the door with no explanation. It was moments like this — instances of being denied entry to parks, restaurants, and other establishments I used to take for granted being able to enter — that drove home how small our world was becoming.

JURIST: What would you like the world to understand about your current situation?

Afghan woman: I want the world to know that they should not listen to the Taliban when it rattles on about human rights or fundamental freedoms. And it certainly should not attempt to negotiate our rights without us. We are half of the population of Afghanistan, and we can’t be ignored. If Afghanistan were a body, women and girls would be half of it; it’s not possible to ignore the pain and suffering we’re experiencing every day.

I want the world to stand with us and recognize the severity of the gender apartheid we’re experiencing every day. The Taliban should be held accountable for the crime of apartheid they’re committing. Their rules, decrees, and restrictions are not our cultural beliefs — they’re imposing their beliefs and culture on us. This is not an internal issue as the Taliban claims; these are their issues. We need to be heard, we need to be given a voice, and we need to be protected from the Taliban.

JURIST: What gives you strength in these challenging times?

Afghan woman: What gives me strength and hope is the thought of the day when the Taliban is no longer in power — when we take back our rights, our freedom, and our future. Picturing that moment gives me hope to work and fight for other Afghan women, to stand by them, and do everything I can to support them. The Taliban will lose its hold on Afghanistan one day, and we need to be prepared. We need to have hope and do everything we can.

*One of the authors of this article, an Afghan legal scholar, cannot presently be identified due to fears for their security.