Still They Rise – Afghan Women Under the Taliban

Life for women in Afghanistan has changed but courage, hope and determination remain.

Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have issued decree after decree aimed at erasing women from public life. Education, work and freedom were all stripped away from them. But many of them fight back – quietly, courageously, and with unwavering determination. Although it is now forbidden for women to travel without a male guardian, Dr. Hamida makes the journey to a remote provincial hospital every week, where she leads the women’s department. In Kabul, young midwife Rahela continues her rounds, visiting pregnant women in need. And in a modest living room in the district of Dashte Barchi, adult women gather in secret, defying the Taliban’s ban on education.