Five years after Taliban takeover, Afghan women remain trapped in deepening rights crisis

Five years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, women and girls remain trapped in a deepening human rights crisis, barred from education beyond sixth grade and restricted in employment, movement, and public life. A new UN Women report documents worsening conditions and deteriorating mental health. In a tragic late July 2026 incident, 16-year-old Fariba reportedly died by suicide after being denied education. Afghan women who spoke with The Media Line describe hardships in exile, including fear of deportation and loneliness.

Five years after the Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, Afghan women and girls remain trapped in a deepening human rights crisis, stripped of rights, freedoms, and opportunities. The Taliban has systematically pushed them out of public life, dismantling access to education, employment, movement, and civic participation. The UN says they are entering their fifth year of near-total exclusion, with girls barred from education beyond the sixth grade. UN experts urge governments not to normalize relations with the Taliban until there is verified progress on human rights. A new UN Women report documents mounting restrictions and deteriorating mental health. In a tragic incident in late July 2026, a 16-year-old girl, Fariba, reportedly died by suicide after being denied education, leaving a note saying it was "too hard to be a girl in Afghanistan." The Media Line interviewed Afghan women who fled, including Marzia Imamzadeh, a Hazara Shia refugee who lost her parents in a bombing; a former volleyball coach separated from her children in Pakistan; Zala Ahmadi, who sold her family's jewelry to pay smugglers; journalist Tahmina Usmani, now in Paris; activist Marwa Ali; and former judge Tahmina Safi. They describe severe mental health crises, harassment, and fear of deportation, while their loved ones face difficult conditions at home.