In brief
Following a mass deportation from Iran, Afghan women and girls are confronting severe restrictions under Taliban rule, returning to a life they describe as a “cage.”
In a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Afghan women, three sisters recently returned to Afghanistan after being expelled from Iran, where they had previously enjoyed relative freedoms. Upon crossing the border, 18-year-old Marwa expressed the drastic changes they would face: no more evening strolls, job prospects, or educational opportunities. “Afghanistan is like a cage for women, and we’re coming back to that cage,” lamented Khurshid, 17, an aspiring painter who had defied Taliban edicts by choosing not to wear a hijab at the border.The recent decampment of more than 1.4 million Afghans from Iran has crushed the aspirations of many women and girls who were seeking safety and opportunities away from the oppressive Taliban regime. The situation is mirrored in Pakistan, which has enforced similar deportation policies, endangering the lives of countless individuals who fled Afghanistan in the wake of the 2021 Taliban takeover.Now, under the new Afghan government's stringent policies, girls are barred from studying past the sixth grade, while women face bans on most employment and restrictions in public spaces. They cannot visit parks or travel without a male guardian. Khurshid, while defiant at the border, acknowledges the difficult adjustments awaiting them as they prepare to return to a life stifled by limitations. The sisters’ story represents just one of many as Afghan women navigate their precarious existence amid a return to strict societal norms.
