More than 50,000 people, including women, have been rounded up for begging in Kabul by the Taliban. Afghan women detained for begging have described experiencing rapes, beatings, and forced labor at the hands of Taliban officials. Since regaining power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Islamist group has declared a war on women, systematically violating their rights. Victims who were begging on the streets for money and food for their children have shared their stories of abuse, including sexual abuse, torture, forced labor, and witnessing children being beaten and abused while in detention.
One mother-of-three shared her experience of being forced to move to Kabul and beg on the streets for food after her husband, who was in the national army, disappeared during the Taliban’s takeover. Under the Taliban’s enforcement of their version of Islamic Sharia law, all women were banned from working. The mother was unaware of the anti-begging laws until she was arrested outside a bakery, taken by force into a Taliban vehicle, and detained for three days and nights. She was forced to cook, clean, and do laundry for the men working in the jail, and was subjected to biometric testing and fingerprinting, physical assault, and rape.
Under the Taliban, women and girls in Afghanistan have been banned from participating in politics, education, leaving the house without a male chaperone, showing skin in public, and accessing healthcare delivered by men. They face discrimination and restrictions in numerous aspects of their lives purely for being women. Another woman who was begging in Kabul with her four-year-old daughter was also arrested and held in prison, where she reported being raped and tortured. She and two other women were subjected to sexual assault while in detention, causing her severe psychological trauma and depression.
According to Taliban officials, more than 50,000 people have been rounded up for begging in Kabul since the introduction of anti-begging laws. Women detained under these laws have reported experiencing sexual abuse, torture, forced labor, and witnessing children being mistreated in detention. The systematic violations of women’s rights under the Taliban’s rule have led to a climate of fear and repression for women in Afghanistan. Many victims, like the mother-of-three and the woman with a young daughter, feel unable to speak out about their experiences due to fear of repercussions and lack of support.
The stories of Afghan women who have been detained by the Taliban for begging highlight the extreme violations of women’s rights under the Islamist group’s rule. The cases of rape, torture, forced labor, and abuse in detention demonstrate the urgent need for international attention and intervention to protect the rights and safety of Afghan women and girls. The systematic discrimination and repression faced by women in Afghanistan must be addressed through advocacy, support, and efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. The testimonies of these women shed light on the ongoing human rights crisis in Afghanistan and the urgent need for action to ensure the safety and well-being of women and girls in the country.
