As summer begins, several women are voicing complaints about being barred from recreational areas under Taliban rule. They say the restrictions imposed by the group have closed off nearly all leisure spaces to women, depriving families of anywhere to relax and spend their free time. Meanwhile, several women’s rights activists say the Taliban have driven women into isolation through sweeping restrictions, and that the group’s policies, which they describe as misogynistic in nature, are aimed at the gradual erasure of women from social and public life.
Sharara (pseudonym) says that on Friday, she went with her family for an outing to Qargha, but the Taliban refused to let them in because she was among the family members. She says: “On Friday, I went to Qargha with my husband and our two children. When the Taliban’s Morality Police saw that a woman was in the car, they did not allow us to enter. A few steps from the recreational areas, the Morality Police stand and prevent women from entering. They say it is not allowed here, and it is not allowed there either.”
This woman says the Taliban have deprived women of education and work, and that she waits all week long so that, at the very least, on Friday, she can go out with her family for some recreation and find relief from depression. She adds, “They let the men in, but when women are with them, they refuse to allow entry. On top of that, it is summer, the house feels confining, and the weather is very hot. Every woman needs to spend at least Friday at recreational spots and enjoy herself a little, but this group does not permit it. We are truly exhausted by all this harshness.”
Sharara also says: “Even in one of the gardens around Qargha that has rooms for families, women are only allowed to stay inside that room with their family. At home, we are in a room, and during recreation, we are in a room too. If you so much as step outside, the Taliban’s Morality Police immediately come with hoses in hand and tell you to go back in.”
Rokhsar (pseudonym) says the restrictions imposed by the Taliban have closed nearly all recreational spots to women, and families no longer have anywhere to relax or spend their leisure time. She says: “During the Republic, we went out for recreation a lot, because at home we have both elderly relatives and children, and everyone gets tired of staying indoors. But now that the Taliban have come, we went to Istalif once, and because all the family members were together, they did not let us in due to the presence of women. We sat for a few minutes in a private garden and then turned back. After that, we went to Qargha, and there too they refused. We went to Paghman, but there they stopped us as well. There is no place left for recreation anymore.”
This woman adds, “Not everyone has a private garden to go to for recreation. Our days have become completely monotonous. The men at least go to work and are free to move about, but the poor women have no access to study or university, are not allowed to work, and must stay home all the time. The mental state of many women has deteriorated, and these restrictions have had a strong negative effect on our lives.”
Sogand (pseudonym) also criticizes the ban on women’s access to parks and recreational areas. She says, “Recreational places have been made off-limits to women. My children grow tired and restless at home during the week and keep asking me to take them out for fun, but there is nowhere that women are allowed to go and bring their children along.” She adds: “Many recreational spots that were once so crowded there was not even room to throw a needle have now lost their vibrancy in the wake of the Taliban’s restrictions, and the number of visitors has dropped dramatically.”
Meanwhile, Zahra Haqparast, a women’s rights activist, says that women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule have been stripped of many of their basic human rights. She adds: “Women are deprived of the right to education, work, choice of dress, freedom of movement, sports, and the right to travel. By imposing sweeping restrictions, the Taliban have driven women into isolation. The group’s policies are misogynistic in nature, and their aim is the gradual erasure of women from social arenas. The restrictions imposed have pushed women to the margins and forced them into seclusion.”
This women’s rights activist says that the Taliban’s violent conduct, including the shooting of men who had gone with their families for an outing to one of Herat’s recreational areas, has spread an atmosphere of fear and dread among families and has made many of them no longer dare to visit recreational spots. She adds: “The continuation of these restrictions has left dire consequences for women’s mental health and could be accompanied by rising depression, isolation, and an increase in suicide rates among women.”
Zakaria Barakzai, a psychologist, says that recreation and social activities form an important and essential part of human life and play a significant role in maintaining people’s mental health. He adds, “Through recreation and presence in social environments, a person can release part of their emotional and psychological pressure. Being deprived of recreational places and having social interactions curtailed sets the stage for despair and the emergence of psychological problems.”
This psychologist also says: “Human beings were created free, and by relying on free thought, they travel the path of their own growth and flourishing. Whenever restrictions are placed along this path, and these restrictions hinder a person’s growth and progress, they foster, on one hand, a sense of despair, and on the other, a spirit of alienation and noncooperation between the individual and society. Such conditions, in addition to creating emotional and psychological problems, also lead to greater social isolation.”
Barakzai stresses that in today’s world, access to social rights and opportunities should not be defined on the basis of gender, and that all people, regardless of being women or men, should enjoy the right to participate in social life and to benefit from recreational facilities.
This comes as women in Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s return to power, have been increasingly deprived of their basic rights and civil liberties.
In the most recent case, the Taliban detained several women in Herat province over the group’s preferred dress code, an action that drew widespread reactions from women’s rights activists, human rights bodies, and social media users.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
ممنوعیت تفریح برای زنان؛ بستهشدن پارکها و گسترش انزوا و ترس در خانوادهها
