With the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, the future of Afghan women, including working professionals, remain uncertain. Although the Taliban assures women in Afghanistan will be free to work, right groups fear women’s freedoms could be eroded.
‘Women’s rights would be reserved like before, respecting their human rights. Women will have rights, including education and work, and the media will be independent and free’, said spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid during a press conference. However, during another news conference on August 24, Mujahid said that women should not go to work for their own safety and work from home as soldiers are ‘not trained’ yet to respect them.
However, the to be Prime Minister of Afghanistan claimed that it would be “a very temporary procedure” and told CNN, “Until the situation gets back to a normal order and women related procedures are in place, they must take time off work.”
These raise safety as well as human rights violation concerns among working Afghan women.
Working women, including women journalists, are already being suppressed and attacked to snatch their rights to work.
Since August 15, there have been several instances that indicate the Taliban militants targeted women journalists.
Taliban was exposed when a video of Shabnam Dawran, a news anchor at RTA, got viral on social media. In the video, she pleaded, “those who are listening to me, if the world hears me, then please help us as our lives are under threat.”
The former journalist of TOLO News claimed that she was barred from entering her office last week while her male colleagues were allowed in. She further contended that Taliban soldiers threatened her and her other female colleagues for wearing makeup and were told to stop coming to work.
As Shabnam Dawran continues to receive threats from the Taliban, the 24-year-old Afghan journalist expresses her wish to leave Afghanistan, reported Open The Magazine.
While some women Afghan journalists are planning to escape the country, some have already left Afghanistan in fear of being attacked.
Wahida Faizi, another Afghan journalist, is one of them who already fled the country. “I love my country, but I cannot stay here”, Wahida Faizi told the BBC on August 26.
As per the BBC, Wahida Faizi fled Afghanistan, fearing the Taliban would kill her for her work. Now she vows never to return there.
Not only threaten but also physical attacks have been taken place. A female state TV anchor was forced to be off the air, CPJ reported.
There are plenty of female journalists from Afghanistan who are claimed to receive threats and being barred from entering their workplace. However, a few women journalists are still working, bringing the real pictures and live reports of Kabul from the ground.
Under the Taliban rule, when much of Kabul entered self-confinement in speculation of the worst, Hasiba Atakpal and Zahra Rahimi from TOLO News journalists gathered their gear and made their way to work on the field, with indomitable courage.
Encouraging the journalists, Saad Mohseni, Director of the MOBYgroup, posted pictures of the fearless women journalists on August 17 and captioned, “Our brave female journalists out and about in Kabul this morning.”
Another TOLO news journalist, Anisha Shaheed, remains firm and dedicated in her resolve to continue reporting even if it insists her take a different route to work daily to ensure her safety.
