Following a wave of deportations from Iran, Afghan women and girls confront a bleak future under Taliban laws, severely limiting their rights and freedoms.
Afghan Women Deported from Iran: A Return to Harsh Realities under Taliban Rule
Afghan Women Deported from Iran: A Return to Harsh Realities under Taliban Rule
Sisters express fears of restrictions as they face life back in Afghanistan after being deported from Iran.
As three Afghan sisters, newly deported from Iran, re-enter the country, the memories of their previous life underscore a harsh new reality. “Get ready to cope,” an aid worker cleverly advised, highlighting the daunting challenges awaiting them as they contend with the Taliban's repressive regime.
Marwa, aged 18, and her two sisters, Khurshid, 17, and another sibling, are predominantly aware that even basic freedoms such as nighttime strolls, supermarket jobs, and educational aspirations have been dashed. With a chilling proclamation, Khurshid articulated a sentiment shared by many, “Afghanistan is like a cage for women, and we’re coming back to that cage.”
The backdrop of these fears is right within a significant crisis: over 1.4 million Afghans have faced expulsion from Iran just this year, triggering the collapse of dreams and opportunities for those who sought a better life. This situation is exacerbated by Pakistan's similar deportation strategy, which further amplifies the plight of Afghan women escaping the recent Taliban resurgence.
Their apprehensions are founded as they are met with a society that enforces some of the most stringent mandates against women and girls globally. In Afghanistan, the Taliban’s regime prohibits girls from continuing education past the sixth grade, while women face barriers to almost all employment sectors, restricts public space access, and enforces the necessity of male guardians for travel.
At the border, young Khurshid initially defied Taliban mandates by abstaining from wearing a hijab, but she and her sisters quickly acknowledged that adaptation is key to their survival. As they prepare to don headscarves and garments that comply with the Taliban's regulations, the sisters are forced to accustom themselves to a life where personal expression is significantly stifled; all while fearing the confines that await them in their homeland.
