By: Amanda Frese

Since 2001, 57,000 female-owned businesses opened in Afghanistan, providing 40,000 jobs - 45% of which were given to women - and grossing $66.8 million in revenue (Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry).  Women made strides not only in business, but in sports, with the creation of the first all-female Afghan football team in 2007 (Sporting News, 2021), and in politics, composing 27% of lawmakers and holding one fifth of the country’s civil servant positions (Reuters, 2021). This major progress for Afghan women came to an abrupt halt once the Taliban invaded Kabul on August 15th, 2021.

Upon Taliban invasion, women's rights were severely rolled back, resulting in forced school closures, travel restrictions, and many women losing their jobs. In an interview with Reuters,   **businesswoman Nadia(whose name was changed for her protection), who previously owned a prominent cafe in Kabul and spoke out for female empowerment via television, says she now fears for her life, stating,  “Over the past 20 years, so many women like me have worked hard to make our place in society and make a future for our country. Now, we are back to zero.” (Reuters, 2021).

Forbes reported that Rahila Hussainzada, another entrepreneur in the region, was forced to close her hair salon and clothing stores following the invasion of the Taliban, and Manizha Wafeq, the fifteen-year spokesperson for AWCCI, fears that her efforts to provide resources and grants to female entrepreneurs will be immobilized due to Taliban influence (Forbes, 2021).

Now, women across the country are demanding  azadi -  which translates to freedom - by forming protests across the country to advocate for equal rights and continued representation in government. Following the U.S. withdrawal, NPR reported that one protester held a sign written in English, stating, “Why the world is watching us silently and cruelly?” (NPR, 2021)

According to the Human Rights Watch, there has been a lack of international support for Afghan women, whose roles as businesswomen, political leaders, athletes, journalists, and activists have been greatly restricted by the Taliban. While the UN Security Council, International Criminal Court, and UN Mission Assistance to Afghanistan are considering aid conditionality and targeted sanctions in order to provide support to women, the Taliban’s takeover has greatly diminished international investment in the region (Human Rights Watch).

In addition to Afghan businesswomen and activists,  notable organizations such as Women for Women International, The Georgetown Institute for Women, and Afghanaid, are voicing their support for human rights and gender equality  in the region.  You, too, can aid Afghan women by  donating to these organizations, purchasing  products made by Afghani women online, or simply educating yourself and others on this issue. □

Article Resources

https://awcci.af/en/

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/athletics/news/what-the-talibans-takeover-means-for-afghanistan-cricket-and-women-athletes/1ti835hkdd8581vfgi7vuwxv1l

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-women-business/now-we-are-back-to-zero-afghan-businesswomen-on-the-run-idUSKBN2FR1SJ

https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicahaider/2021/09/03/its-hard-on-a-woman-afghanistans-female-entrepreneurs-speak-out-on-uncertainty-under-taliban-rule/?sh=6855329c5fb6

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/09/1035214735/women-afghanistan-protest-taliban

https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/17/fragility-womens-rights-afghanistan

Article Credits

Instagram: @amanda.frese