The 'hidden disaster' affecting millions of Afghan women

"The feeling of living in an open prison haunts me all the time in Kabul," shared a female former school teacher who is battling stress and anxiety due to the harsh restrictions imposed on women by the Taliban regime. She spoke to FairPlanet on condition of anonymity.

Experts say that under the Taliban's gender-apartheid regime, a rapid proliferation of psychological issues, including severe depression, anxiety, stress and self-esteem challenges, is taking place among women who feel increasingly marginalised from society.

Shamima (an alias) was an English teacher at a private school before the Taliban banned girls’ schools above grade six, leaving her jobless.

"For the first few weeks, I was in disbelief and thought this is not going to stay like this for long," she told FairPlanet. "But now after over two years, I am faced with psychological disorders caused by stress and anxiety with no signs of schools reopening and life getting back to some sort of normalcy."

Under the Taliban's version of Sharia laws, women face severe limitations in both public and private sector employment, as well as in roles within developmental and aid organisations, which leads to significant psychological distress. This impact is especially profound on women who are the sole breadwinners in their families, such as Shamima.

"I had been bearing all the expenses of the family, but I cannot afford all these expenses anymore," said Maryam Alizada, a former Kabul University teacher who has been enduring panic attacks since the closure of all universities for girls over a year ago. 

Alizada's father passed away two years ago due to a heart condition and she now has to care for her mother who had a stroke and lost the ability to speak properly.

Following her mother's stroke, the doctor recommended monthly check-ups and updates to her prescription to maintain her neurological health, Alizada said. But it has been four months since her last doctor visit.

Unable to afford the monthly check-ups and medicine her mother needs, Alizada fears she might lose her mother soon.

She told FairPlanet that her stress has been compounded by thus-far unfruitful attempts to find a job, and that she is experiencing severe depression as a result. "I often think I am incapable, I have no hope for my future career. We all are very depressed."

What's behind the swelling mental health crisis?

Despite significant international pressure and strong protests from both the local civil society within Afghanistan and the Afghan diaspora globally, the Taliban banned universities for women and girls in December 2022.

The situation is worse in rural areas, with increasing cases of forced and early age marriages and a rise in suicides. According to a report by Amnesty International - which has been corroborated by national and international organisations operating in Afghanistan, local activists and other experts - the rates of child, early and forced marriages in Afghanistan are surging under Taliban rule. This surge is attributed to several key factors: the prevailing economic and humanitarian crisis; the absence of educational and professional opportunities for women and girls; families compelling women and girls into marriages with Taliban members; and Taliban members themselves forcing women and girls into marriage.

A report by UN Women reveals that almost 70 per cent of the women surveyed have experienced a significant increase in feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression, emotions they attribute to the current circumstances in Afghanistan.

Sharafuddin Azimi, a Kabul-based psychologist, said that besides social isolation, rising poverty, unemployment and depression are the main factors contributing t0 heightened suicide rates among women in Afghanistan.

"Women have been neglected in so many ways in Afghan society," Azimi told FairPlanet. "They suffer from mental problems and we see that they commit suicide if social and family pressures, deprivations and unemployment increase."

Amid increasingly severe mental health crises among Afghan women, Zia Nikzad, a Kabul-based sociologist, highlighted the scarcity of appropriate counseling centres and the inadequate access women have to necessary services to address these issues as critical problems.

He added, "There is a stereotypical and negative perception against individuals, especially women and girls who are suffering from mental breakdowns and severe depression that pushes them away from society and marginalises them. And this view adds to the problem instead of solving it."

Nikzad said that family support towards women and girls can be impactful by encouraging them in areas where they possess abilities and skills. This approach could alleviate some of their challenges, he highlighted.

He further mentioned that online opportunities in education and employment could effectively reduce mental strain and enhance women's mental health.

It should be noted, however, that access to online opportunities in Afghanistan, mainly around secondary and tertiary education and basic online commerce, is constrained. This is largely due to poor connectivity and the limited resources available to women and girls, particularly in Afghanistan's remote areas.

Check out our interview with Parasto Hakim, the founder of an underground network educating hundreds of girls and women in Afghanistan. 

Lingering anxiety

In the two and a half years since the Taliban's takeover of Kabul, numerous female professionals have fled Afghanistan, fearing persecution.

Speaking with FairPlanet, several Afghan women awaiting the processing of their asylum applications in Pakistan shared that their anxieties have simply transformed, not disappeared.

Khalida Alizada, a former Afghan public prosecutor who fled to Pakistan, said she and her children are hiding at home all day as their visas have expired and they fear the police might arrest and deport them back to Afghanistan. 

"I have not heard back on our humanitarian visa applications lodged with the US, Germany and France," she said, adding the Taliban authorities would not spare her for her past involvement in a number of high profile cases against them during her service in the Afghan Republic.

Mr Nikzad argued that the international humanitarian community must pay serious attention to the mental health issues of Afghan women and girls, stressing that it is "a hidden disaster" affecting millions.

Image by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona.