Taliban takeover: Afghan women face uncertain future | DW News

For Afghanistan's women and girls, the return of the Taliban means fear and uncertainty. Since the extremists were ousted twenty years ago, women have taken on more prominent roles in Afghan society.

In politics, women were guaranteed more than a quarter of parliamentary seats. Several have held ministerial positions, like Suraya Da-lil, who served as Minister of Public Health and was later named the country's Permanent Representative to the UN.

Women also made an impact on the security forces – by joining the police and the army, with some rising through the ranks – like Brigadier General Khatool Mohammadzai.

The numbers of women and girls receiving an education also increased significantly, the Taliban having long prohibited schooling for girls past the age of 10. Now, around a fifth of all university students are women.

Under the Taliban, access to even basic healthcare was restricted for women. A lot has changed in the last two decades, and now many fear Afghanistan's women will – once again – be stripped of their rights.

Hosna Jalil is a Former Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs and Former Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs in the Afghan government. She told DW: "Everything we have built in the past 20 years is lost."


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