Giving a voice to the women of Afghanistan

 Rukhshana Media reader Bahar Ebrahimi, whose education was cut short by the Taliban, writes here about what August 15 means to her. 

Hannah Neumann is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Germany’s Green Party who focuses on foreign policy and human rights and has used her position to advocate strongly for Afghan women and girls since the Taliban’s return to power.

As the world marked International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women this week, I spoke with the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett about the dire situation facing women and girls.

The stark figures show that since the hardliners seized power in 2021, women have been erased from public life, poverty is forcing hopeless families to marry off their daughters and healthcare is on the brink of failure.

August 15 marks five years since the Taliban seized Afghanistan - five years which have changed the lives of millions of girls and women beyond all recognition.

Former Afghan policewoman Saadat* has spent five years in hiding since the Taliban seized power, living in constant fear that she could be killed if discovered.