Some women in Helmand who are heads of their households say the Taliban neither allow them to work nor let them beg.
The women told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Tuesday, November 3, that their children are going hungry and that, under these circumstances, they are worried about meeting their children’s basic needs and securing their future.
Hosna, 45, a resident of Lashkargah city, says she has been responsible for raising and providing for her four orphaned children since her husband was killed.
According to Hosna, the Taliban have established a committee to collect beggars, whose members do not allow anyone to beg in the city.
She says she had set up a mobile stall in the city to cover her children’s living expenses, but the Taliban prevented her from working and did not allow her to continue operating it.
Meanwhile, sources say members of the committee patrol the city every day, preventing people from begging and women from engaging in economic activities.
The Taliban banned begging in Afghanistan about three years ago and have simultaneously imposed widespread restrictions on women’s employment.
This comes as the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment and social participation have severely reduced their income-generating opportunities in Afghanistan.
According to a report published by the United Nations in August 2026, only seven percent of women in Afghanistan are employed.
