The world watched as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan´s capital Kabul in August 2021. The moment was coming as U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, and the Taliban didn't hesitate to move in overnight.
Outside of Afghanistan, it seemed to happen so fast. But from within, women in positions of power were long preparing to flee the country, go into hiding or stay.
33-year-old Naheed Esar is now living in Arkansas as a doctoral student, but prior to her move, she served for 6 years as a gender expert for the presidential palace, and as a deputy foreign minister.
Her position was not safe in the last few years. She traveled with several security guards and her home in Kabul was constantly checked for bombs. Taliban members for the last twenty years have been threatening women in power, art, education, activism, law, anything outside of their view of a women's place, she said in an interview with National Geographic.
During the mass fleeing of Afghanis to the Kabul airport in attempts to escape the Taliban regime, the majority were women in tech, art, and sports who needed to leave not just to live a better life, but to avoid becoming a target of assassination, Esar said in the interview.
Among these women included: members of the national women's robotics teams, women on the national cycling team, female journalists, U.S. translators, female politicians, members of the LGBTQ community, and students from the only all-girls boarding school whose director had burned their school records for their protection, according to National Geographic.
In the last 20 years, Afghanistan has made leaps for women's rights and education. By 2018 3.8 million girls enrolled in school, compared to 5,000 in 2001, according to the Afghan Ministry of Education.
To understand the women's rights movements, triumphs and setbacks, it is important to understand the history.
A Brief Afghan Women´s Rights History
Women's rights in Afghanistan have a long history of progression and regression. In 1964 women helped draft a constitution that gave them the right to vote and hold government office, according to Constitution Net. This was the biggest boom of women entering the workforce, holding positions of power and having access to higher-level education.
In 1979, the Soviet Union began a civil war, in which women's rights were parished once again. When the Soviet Union retreated, the Taliban rose in popularity in the early 1990s. From 1996-2001 women remained in their homes unless accompanied by male chaperones. After the 7th grade, girls were not permitted to go to school, and women who did not follow these rules were physically punished.
Naheed Esar said in her interview with National Geographic that she comes from a long line of radical women. Her grandmother was a guerilla fighter during the civil war, and her mother hosted a secret school for girls during the first Taliban regime, Esar said in the interview.
Through the most difficult times, Afghan women have proved to be resilient and continue fighting for future generations. While it is a dangerous and uncertain time, there are many amazing Afghan women doing incredible work around the world.
Continuing The Fight For Rights
The identity and whereabouts of many Afghan women who have fled the Taliban regime need to be protected for their security. Esar said in her interview with National Geographic that she advises these women to stay off of social media and try to enjoy their new experiences, even though it is very difficult watching what is happening at home on the news and constantly worrying about friends and family.
There are amazing Afghan women who have been fighting for their rights outside of Afghanistan for years. Zarqa Yaftali was the recipient of the 2019 UN's Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to peacebuilding for Afghanistan. She is involved in organizations such as Secretariat of the Civil Society Joint Task Force and the Afghan Women’s Network (AWN), according to NGO Working Group On Women, Peace and Security.
With more than a decade of experience advocating for women and children's rights in Afghanistan, she along with fellow activists Malala Yousafzai and Shaharzad Akbar announced a letter calling on leaders to get Afghan girls back in school.
Shaharzad Akbar is a writer and advocate who finished her studies in the U.S. in 2011. She went on to become an author and journalist publishing in The Washington Post, CNN and academic journals. She is currently the chairperson of the Afghanistan Human Rights Commission, and she previously served as senior advisor to the Afghan president on the High Development Council.
Three Afghan female politicians, Zarifa Gafari, Salima Mazari and Fawzia Koofi, stayed behind after the Taliban takeover to fight for women and children's rights, risking their lives. These heroes, although anticipated, faced the hardest realities.
Salima Mazari fought until the end but has been reportedly captured, there is social media movement to free her. Zarifa Gafari knew she was targeted for assassination and fled to Europe according to National Geographic. Fawzia remains continuing to help women and children have access to their basic needs. All three women worked valiantly to protect the women and children of their nation.
The collective resistance continues as Afghan women around the world choose to not give up. NGO's and organizations such as Women Helping Afghan Women and the Afghan Women's Network continue to help people at risk find resources, support and fight for a better future.
