Challenges Faced by Female Athletes Under Taliban Rule
Challenges Faced by Female Athletes Under Taliban Rule

Following the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the lives of women were profoundly affected and constrained. One of the sectors that suffered considerably was women’s sports.

Alongside numerous restrictions and challenges for women and girls, sports have also been declared forbidden for them by the Taliban. This decision resulted in the closure of many federations and sports clubs in Kabul and the provinces.

Laila, a 38-year-old resident of Kabul shared with the Afghan Women’s News Agency, “With the arrival of the Taliban, our professional activities were severely disrupted. Before the collapse of the government, I had around fifty students at various times, the majority of whom were girls. However, over the past two years, women and girls have shown dwindling interest in sports. Our club remains operational, but secretly. The doors have been shut by the Taliban’s Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice more than three times, with warnings that should we continue our activities, the club would be shut down and we would face arrest. Yet, I have continued my work with fear and trepidation, and currently, I have more than fifteen girl students.”

“I am compelled to work, as I am the breadwinner for my family of five. I have been active in the club for over eleven years, training women and girls. However, this group has shattered the very foundation of all women’s aspirations and barred them from work and activity,” Laila said.

With the closure of sports centers by the Taliban, many female athletes have either fled the country or abandoned their pursuits, negatively affecting the development of sports for women and girls.

Moreover, female athletes are grappling with numerous psychological and emotional challenges.

Women athletes in the country implore all organizations supporting women and girls in Afghanistan to heed their voices and acknowledge their diminished rights, urging that the Taliban should be brought before the International Court of Justice.

  • نویسنده : Afghanistan Women News Agency
  • منبع خبر : Afghanistan Women News Agency