Success has been replaced by fear for life: Thousands of women in Afghanistan are quitting business! There is no hope – Topky

Today, a 30-year-old woman is hiding in a secret place in the Afghan capital – she is afraid of life, unable to support her family and has come to terms with the fact that the success she has achieved in twenty years is useless, writes the Thomson Reuters Foundation. now they are closing their businesses.

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I’m afraid they’ll come after my family

“When the Taliban entered Kabul, I had no choice, I had to flee and hide. I am well known in Afghanistan. Now I am afraid they will come for me and my family.” confided Nadia, who changed the name of the foundation to protect it.

Many women worked hard, now we have returned to zero

“Many women like me have worked hard over the last twenty years to gain a place in society and create a future for our country. Now we have returned to zero.” she noted. Like thousands of other Afghans, Nadia wanted to flee the country after the Taliban arrived in the metropolis, working for the government and working with American organizations. However, she could not leave her blind father, mother and younger sisters.

Source: SITA / AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe

Once the Taliban seized Kabul in mid-August, many women closed their businesses – business directors, beauticians and restaurant owners. Some have fled the country, others are hiding – all because of their success in fighting the revenge of radical Islamists.

Source: SITA / AP Photo / Jose Luis Magana

During its previous governments, the Taliban closed girls’ schools between 1996 and 2001 and banned women from working. They could only go out in burqas and accompanied by a male relative. Executions and flogging were common. For example, in 1999, high schools were inaccessible to girls and only 9,000 of them went to primary schools, the UN said.

Rights are still being violated

Despite the Taliban’s promises that women will be able to study and work this time, although under Islamic Sharia law, many women fear a return to repression. The UN is already reporting violations of women’s rights in some Taliban-controlled areas – whether forced marriage, suspension of employment, or restrictions on movement and education.

Source: SITA / AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe

Twenty-nine-year-old designer Marjam, who owns a clothing store in Kabul, also remains pessimistic about the future. “We stopped working on the day the Taliban arrived. We have a lot of workers who don’t dare come to work now,” describes the situation of a woman who also changed the name of her foundation. “Personally, I feel compelled to leave the country. Despite our determination to stay and work here, there is no hope.” adds.

I don’t believe they’ve changed

Malala Javad, 52, fled to neighboring Tajikistan in 2019 after the Taliban threatened to kill her children. The woman had previously run a silk clothing store in Mazar-e-Sharif. “Sewing silk jackets and dresses was a good business. I employed 60 people and also exported,” described by a businesswoman from Dushanbe now. “The Taliban did not like what I was doing and threatened to kill my daughter and son. I do not believe they have changed – they say they will respect women’s rights just to please the world, but Afghan women know what they are,” adds.

Source: SITA / AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe

Over the last two decades, Afghan women have seized the opportunities denied to previous generations and made significant progress. They began to assert themselves in areas that used to be a stronghold of men – politics, media, information technology, hospitality, business. This year, women made up 27 percent of lawmakers, and one in five government officials was women. More than 3.5 million girls went to school. The self-confidence and skills of Afghan women have been supported by several international organizations, charities, corporations and governments.

Source: SITA / AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe

According to the Afghan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, nearly 57,000 women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises have been established in the country since 2001. Their scope is wide – from companies focused on handicrafts, jewelry or carpets to the operation of private schools, hospitals or IT companies.

Source: SITA / AP Photo / Jose Luis Magana

Sanjeev Khagram, dean of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University (ASU), said the facility trained nearly 400 Afghan women who played a key role in the country’s development. “Many of them started their businesses successfully in the private sector, employing thousands of people.” says Khagram.

“Others held senior positions in government, where they shaped politics and service provision … or took on leadership roles in civil society.” he added, warning that if the Taliban again banned women from working, it would damage entire Afghan society. At the same time, many women are the main breadwinners of their families, and the loss of employment could throw entire families into poverty.