What did Chela Noori discover about the situation of Afghan women under Taliban rule?

Chela Noori, the founder of the Afghan Women of France organization, recently traveled to Afghanistan and found that women face severe restrictions, including being banned from schools and public spaces. However, she also discovered pockets of resistance, with women finding creative ways to maintain their independence and traditions.

How are Afghan children affected by the Taliban's policies?

Noori found that many children in Afghanistan are forced to work on the streets to support their families, as there are almost no jobs available for adults. These children, some as young as 13, work long hours in the sun without protection, earning just a few cents a day.

What are the challenges Afghan women face in trying to leave the country?

Noori explained that it has become increasingly difficult for Afghans to obtain passports and visas to leave the country. Pakistan has been sending all Afghans back, and the cost of visas has skyrocketed, making it nearly impossible for many to escape the Taliban's oppressive regime.

Home / War and Conflict / Afghan Women Brave Taliban Crackdown, Seek Escape Abroad

Afghan Women Brave Taliban Crackdown, Seek Escape Abroad

24 Aug

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Summary

Afghan women face severe restrictions, banned from schools and public spaces
Children forced to work to support families amid economic crisis
Resistance through hidden beauty salons and weddings

Afghan Women Brave Taliban Crackdown, Seek Escape Abroad

In August 2025, Chela Noori, the founder of the Afghan Women of France organization, traveled to Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Noori, who holds a British passport, was able to visit 15 cities and provinces across the country, where she interviewed women, girls, and men to assess the psychological and humanitarian situation.

Noori found that while the Taliban officially mandate the wearing of the burqa, in reality, many Afghan women continue to defy the restrictions, dressing in veils and long tunics. However, the Amr bil-Maroof, or morality police, have been cracking down, beating women in public for not covering their faces properly. Noori herself had a harrowing encounter with the Amr bil-Maroof at a scenic lake in Bamyan.

The situation is particularly dire for young girls, who are already anticipating the end of their education at age 13 due to the Taliban's ban on girls' secondary schools. Noori found many of them in a state of deep depression, with their only future prospects being early marriage. Women who were previously working or studying are also severely impacted, confined to their homes with little to do besides household chores.

Despite the oppression, Noori found pockets of resistance among Afghan women. She discovered that beauty salons and hairdressers, officially closed, have gone underground, with women gathering secretly in each other's homes to maintain their traditions. Noori also noted that lavish weddings continue to take place, with women finding ways to celebrate and express themselves.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is dire, with widespread unemployment and families struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. Children, in particular, are suffering, with many forced to work on the streets to support their families. Noori met a distraught father who lamented the loss of his daughters' dreams of becoming doctors and professionals.

As the Taliban's grip on power continues, Noori's message is clear: the world must put pressure on the regime to allow Afghan women and girls to work, study, and live freely. The future of an entire generation hangs in the balance.

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