Five years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, women and girls say their lives have been transformed by restrictions that reach into education, work, travel and personal freedom. For many, ambitions that once seemed within reach have been replaced by isolation and survival.

Education dreams have been shut down

Afghanistan remains the only country where girls are officially barred from secondary and higher education. The Taliban says three million girls still attend schools and religious centres, but Unicef estimates about 2.6 million girls cannot continue beyond Grade 6.

Shakiba completed her secondary education online but says her dream of becoming a pilot now feels impossible. She described the fall of the government on 15 August 2021 as the moment when years of hopes were suddenly taken away.

Jobs and independence have disappeared

The restrictions extend into working life. The UN says only 7% of women in Afghanistan are employed after bans on many workplaces and fields of study.

Zuhal, a former news anchor, said being forced from her job stripped away a central part of her identity. Her working days have been replaced by long hours at home, she told the BBC.

The Taliban disputes the picture of total exclusion. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi says women remain active as teachers, civil servants and entrepreneurs, claiming the number of female entrepreneurs has risen sharply since 2020-21.

Punishment has become part of the reality

For some women, the consequences have gone far beyond lost careers or education. The Taliban has resumed public corporal punishment, with official records showing hundreds of people flogged since 2021.

Shaima told the BBC she was whipped 50 times after being forced to confess to apostasy and communicating with unrelated men. She said the assault left her badly scarred and traumatised her family, while her daughter now wakes at night believing her mother is being beaten or killed.

A generation is being forced to give up

Manizha was publicly lashed 39 times over her friendship with a man before being jailed. She said her experience left her contemplating suicide and convinced she had become a source of shame for her family.

Five years after the Taliban returned, the stories reveal a society where women’s choices have narrowed dramatically. For millions, the immediate priority is no longer what they might become — but simply how they survive.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyje43dz4eo

While sad, there's not much outsiders can do. The Taliban beat the west hands down after years of war. They did it to establish an Islamic state, so everyone knew what was at stake when the west ran away.

It's a mystery to me how they even have an economy when half the population is living at home.