Key points
- The Taliban has begun detaining women and girls over what it calls dress code violations.
- Australian Afghans are calling on the federal government to facilitate greater asylum assistance.
- The Home Affairs department says women and girls remain a priority for humanitarian visas.
Until recently, Marzia* and Rubina* had been able to defy the Taliban’s bans on female education and employment.
In secret, and from the comfort of their home in Kabul's west, the sisters continued to study and work online as breadwinners for their family of eight.
However, crackdowns on women's attire - enforced by the Taliban's patrolling 'morality police' in January - have panicked them "to new levels" and they decided to quit their jobs and remain indoors.
Rubina worked with an NGO while Marzia was with a news organisation.
"I saw with my own eyes as [the Taliban morality police] dragged a young girl out of a taxi in the Shah-e Do Shamshera area because her hair was 'not entirely covered by the veil'," said Rubina, a university graduate in computer science.
"The armed men yelled at her in front of everyone and warned that next time she would be taken into custody."
Marzia, a university graduate in journalism, explained how the crackdown had taken a toll on the family.
“We are worried about food, rent and everything because my father is a retired policeman hiding from the Taliban.
"And there is no other provider, but what if we get arrested?"
The sisters come from the, long persecuted for their identity and religious beliefs.
"Every night, me and my sister share our fears at home and get more fearful and exhausted," Marzia said.
"Where can we go?"
For the first time since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban began rolling out what it's calling "morality policing" through its Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The move comes after the hardline group enforced an in 2022.
Eyewitnesses known to SBS Pashto, said police have rounded up groups of women and girls in Kabul over their alleged “inappropriate dress in defiance to the Islamic Sharia” and to prevent “obscenity” in society.
It's understood that girls as young as 16 have been detained.
A Taliban fighter stands guard in Kabul, Afghanistan. Source: AAP / Ebrahim Noroozi
He asserted that after the Taliban had observed “patience” following its return to power, the group were now “forced to make arrests to prevent obscenity in society”.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Kabul and Daykundi provinces since January 1 and also noted that religious and ethnic minority communities appeared to be disproportionately impacted by the crackdown.
To secure release, a mahram - or male guardian - has been required to sign a letter guaranteeing future compliance or else face punishment, according to the UNAMA.
'Open prison for women'
Roya Dadras held the title of spokesperson for Afghanistan's now-abolished Ministry of Women’s Affairs, before the Taliban's return to power.
Now settled in Brisbane on an Australian protection visa, she said the latest crackdown marks the harshest act of persecution of women and girls, which has transformed Afghanistan into an "open prison".
She claimed that the international community, including Australia, was nothing more than a "silent spectator" during the crackdowns.
"Whatever the Taliban are doing in Afghanistan in the name of Islam is nothing more than mockery and absolute alienation of women and girls from the society … their view of women and girls has not changed a bit in the past two years,” she said.
Roya Dadras (centre) is a former spokesperson for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan.
“We have been constantly raising our voices, going to Canberra and meeting officials and ministers, but we have no idea why our voices for help and support are not being heard,” she said.
Call for action
The Taliban's crackdown marks a drastic decline in the freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, according to the ambassador of Afghanistan in exile to Australia, Wahidullah Waissi.
Amidst a severe economic downturn, the Canberra-based official said Afghanistan stood as the only nation globally where half its population was excluded solely based on gender.
“Such discriminatory practices amount to an 'apartheid system' and constitute a crime against humanity, reflecting a stark erosion of societal and gender equality in the country,” he said.
He stressed that the international community, including Australia, should unequivocally condemn these actions and advocate for the immediate release of those unjustly detained.
Afghanistan’s ambassador in exile for Australia, Wahidullah Waissi. Source: Supplied / Wahid Wassi
“There are serious concerns about the future of women in Afghanistan following recent events," she said.
"The Australian government's withdrawal has raised disappointment due to the lack of support and protection for the Afghan people, especially women."
Sydney-based Afghan rights activist, Maryam Zahid Popal, has called for more practical action by governments to help women and girls escape the ongoing repression by the Taliban. Source: Facebook / Maryam Zahid Popal
“Unfortunately, there has been a lack of substantial action in response to these critical issues," she said.
"So many fake and political statements and promises were made without following through.”
The Department of Home Affairs told SBS Pashto the government was committed to supporting the Afghan community and had allocated 26,500 dedicated places in the offshore Humanitarian Program for Afghan nationals through to 2025-26.
"Consistent with the approach adopted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Australia will prioritise those cohorts who have the greatest resettlement need," a department spokesperson
said.
The spokesperson affirmed that this approach will "focus on people outside their home country" who are assessed as refugees by the UNHCR and referred to Australia for resettlement; applicants proposed by a close family member in Australia; and vulnerable cohorts within refugee populations including women and children; ethnic minorities; and LGBTQI+ and other identified minority groups that are referred by the UNHCR or proposed by a close family member in Australia.
There has been no official Australian government response to the crackdown.
SBS Pashto has sought comment from the Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
*Names changed due to safety concerns
