Sources in western Kabul say that the Taliban detained at least 10 female online vendors last week. According to the sources, these women were detained last Wednesday while they had gathered in a residential unit in western Kabul to carry out their business activities. No further details about the detention or release of these women have been published so far.
Some residents of western Kabul, expressing concern over systematic Taliban pressure, say that these women were detained without engaging in any political or civil activity. According to them, these women had gathered to conduct their business activities, but were confronted by a raid by Taliban forces, and no information about their status is available so far.
Ali (pseudonym), a resident, says that Taliban forces entered the house and took away the girls present there. He adds that residents have no information about the reason for the detention of these women.
This resident of western Kabul says: “The Taliban entered that location and took the girls away. We do not know what the reason for this action was or why they detained them.”
This detention has also increased the concern of many female online vendors. Some of them say that after hearing news of their colleagues’ detention, due to concerns about their own safety, they have halted their work activities for a while.
Kobra (pseudonym), one of the women active in the online sales sector, says that after hearing the news of these women’s detention, she closed her online shop for several days. She adds that this incident has affected her mental state and has made her worried about continuing her work.
This online vendor says: “After hearing this news, I closed my shop for a few days because my mental state deteriorated and I became afraid to continue working.”
Several other women and girls, who consider online sales their only means of covering their families’ expenses, have expressed concern over the detention of these women and say that the continuation of this situation will also eliminate the last hopes of women for work and income.
Zulaikha (pseudonym), one of the online vendors, says that through online sales she covers her family’s living expenses and part of the cost of treating her sick father. She adds that under current circumstances, online sales work is her only hope for meeting her family’s needs.
This online vendor says: “Through online sales, I provide for my family’s expenses and pay for my sick father’s treatment. My only hope is this online sales work, and if I cannot work, I do not know how I will cover my family’s expenses.”
The detention of these women comes as, following the imposition of extensive restrictions on women’s work and economic activities, several women in Afghanistan have turned to online activities and sales through social media platforms to cover their living expenses.
This comes as, in recent days, sources have expressed concern over the detention of women in certain parts of Kabul, particularly in the Taimani area, by Taliban Morality Police. They have said that harassment of women by Taliban Morality Police has increased compared to the past, and that women who leave their homes to meet their needs are being detained and imprisoned.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
بازداشت ۱۰ زن فروشنده آنلاین در کابل؛ فروشندهگان نسبت به آینده کاریشان نگرانند
