As Taliban takes over Afghanistan, women journalists fear for life

As chaos unfurls in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in the country, the whole world has expressed concerns for the people who are fearing for their lives in the now Taliban-ruled nation. The collapse of the Ashraf Ghani-led government means a lot of things to these Afghan people

Among those who fear retribution by the hardline Islamist group are women journalists. They have already been getting death threats from the Taliban.  Women were forced to adhere to regressive policies during the Taliban’s first government in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. 

These women journalists are now attempting to delete their online footprint for their safety.

“In the last 24 hours, our lives have changed and we have been confined to our homes, and death threatens us at every moment...We see silence filled with fear of the Taliban around us,” The Guardian quoted a woman journalist as saying.

On the other hand, several videos have emerged on social media showing people elbowing and shoving each other to climb into an airplane set to fly out of the Kabul Airport. There are videos showing a virtual stampede-like situation with crowds barging into the airport amid sounds of gunfire in the background. People are ready to pay whatever it costs to leave the country before the Taliban officially enforce their new regime in Afghanistan.

A peculiar observation from the visuals is the lack of women among the Afghans rushing to board flights to leave the country. Since the recent advances of the Taliban, there is widespread fear that Afghanistan may revert to similar policies for women.

Taliban has stated that women will have rights under their new regime and will be allowed to study and work. However, some reports from the region suggest the opposite. Last week, a 21-year-old woman was reportedly shot by a Talibani fighter in the Balkh region for not wearing a veil while out in a car. There are also reports that of Talibani fighters sexually exploiting girls and women.