Afghan women and girls who used to participate in a variety of sports claim that the Taliban intimidated them, including through phone calls and visits advising them not to participate.
The Taliban have outlawed girls' and women's sports since coming to power in August 2021 as part of a slew of policies that have all but eliminated opportunities for women in Afghanistan.
One lady said that Taliban gunmen detained every single one of the ladies she was teaching private mixed martial arts sessions to at a club. The Taliban require women to cover their hair and faces in public and prohibit them from going to parks or gyms.
The Taliban have severely limited women’s ability to work outside the home and most recently forbade non-governmental organizations from employing women, a step that could cripple the vital flow of aid.
Mushwanay, the spokesman of the Taliban’s Sports Organisation and National Olympic Committee, said authorities were looking for a way to restart sports for women by building separate sports venues. But he gave no time frame and said funds were needed to do so. Taliban authorities have repeatedly made similar promises to allow girls in 7th grade and up to return to school, but still have not done so.
Even before the Taliban, women’s sports were opposed by many in Afghanistan’s deeply conservative society, seen as a violation of women’s modesty and of their role in for society. Still, the previous, internationally-backed government had programs encouraging women’s sports and school clubs, leagues, and national teams for women in many sports.
The Taliban have outlawed girls' and women's sports since coming to power in August 2021 as part of a slew of policies that have all but eliminated opportunities for women in Afghanistan.
One lady said that Taliban gunmen detained every single one of the ladies she was teaching private mixed martial arts sessions to at a club. The Taliban require women to cover their hair and faces in public and prohibit them from going to parks or gyms.
The Taliban have severely limited women’s ability to work outside the home and most recently forbade non-governmental organizations from employing women, a step that could cripple the vital flow of aid.
Mushwanay, the spokesman of the Taliban’s Sports Organisation and National Olympic Committee, said authorities were looking for a way to restart sports for women by building separate sports venues. But he gave no time frame and said funds were needed to do so. Taliban authorities have repeatedly made similar promises to allow girls in 7th grade and up to return to school, but still have not done so.
Even before the Taliban, women’s sports were opposed by many in Afghanistan’s deeply conservative society, seen as a violation of women’s modesty and of their role in for society. Still, the previous, internationally-backed government had programs encouraging women’s sports and school clubs, leagues, and national teams for women in many sports.
