The session was conducted in Spanish and gathered an audience eager to understand the complex reality faced by Afghan women since the withdrawal of international troops from the country. To this end, we had the participation of Pilar Requena, director of ‘Documentos TV’, RTVE. During the session, Pilar Requena provided a detailed analysis of the main challenges Afghan women have been facing under the Taliban regime in recent years.

Pilar Requena’s presentation began after a brief introductory video that paid tribute to Afghan refugees who continue fighting for women’s rights from their places of asylum, particularly the right to education. Requena contextualized the current situation in Afghanistan, emphasizing the ban imposed by the Taliban regime preventing women from attending university and secondary education. Although this measure was initially justified with promises to reintegrate women into education in the future, the Taliban have not only failed to fulfill their promise but have also intensified the repression of other women’s rights.

Requena noted that Afghanistan is currently experiencing gender apartheid, with the systematic exclusion of women from public spaces where they once participated. She also described a severe humanitarian crisis that has been ignored by the international community since Afghanistan ceased to be a political priority. Meanwhile, the Taliban have sought international recognition and the unfreezing of Afghan reserves blocked since they came to power. Although these demands have been used as negotiation tools to curb their abuses, the international community has responded weakly to their policies and has not met their full requests, leading the Taliban to reject the conditions imposed by global players.

Additionally, Requena explained that, in an effort to project a more moderate image, the Taliban have appointed representatives who speak English and are accessible even to female journalists. However, she stressed that these figures are the same leaders who ruled in the 1990s, perpetuating the same repressive policies from that era.

Regarding the situation of women, Requena pointed out that Afghanistan’s highly segregated society forces women’s presence in certain professional sectors, such as healthcare, to ensure female population care. However, she warned that it is not unlikely for the Taliban to ban women from these sectors as well, eliminating any basic social coverage for women. This would mark another step in the process of eroding women’s rights in Afghanistan.

The repression under the Taliban regime affects the entire population but has a particularly critical impact on women. The harshest measures began in late March 2024 when public punishments like flogging and stoning for adultery were reintroduced, sparking widespread international protests. However, by August, new restrictions were added to the existing ones: the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice banned women’s voices in public spaces, the use of cosmetics, tight clothing, showing their faces, or looking at men who are not relatives. These prohibitions further extended to women’s presence in public spaces, effectively banning them from parks, gyms, and beauty salons, which had previously served as meeting points for women to share their experiences under the regime.

As a result of these restrictions, the mental health of Afghan women has significantly deteriorated. According to Requena, 90% of women suffer from anxiety and depression, and suicide rates have increased since the Taliban regained power. Moreover, the regime’s repression extends to men who support women’s rights.

To address this crisis, Pilar Requena highlighted the importance of shedding light on what is happening in Afghanistan and ensuring that the plight of women does not fall into oblivion. She also condemned the acceptance by international organizations of the Taliban’s conditions in political negotiations, which often exclude Afghan women from these processes. This exclusion makes it difficult for Afghan women to bring their struggles to the international stage and demand accountability for the regime’s abuses.

The session concluded with a debate where participants had the opportunity to ask questions about the topics discussed. This exchange underscored the importance of understanding the current situation of Afghan women and the international community’s responsibility to consistently denounce the violations of their rights in Afghanistan.

Lucía Rodríguez