Living Conditions and Restrictions in Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
While the majority of the population in Afghanistan struggles with poverty, severe bans on women and human rights violations make life in the country increasingly difficult.
Under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, approximately ninety percent of the population lives below the poverty line, millions of children face malnutrition, and severe restrictions are imposed on women.
Poverty and the Situation of Children
Approximately ninety percent of Afghanistan's population struggles to survive below the poverty line, a rate that represents more than a twofold increase compared to the period before the US withdrawal from the country.
While more than three and a half million children across the country face malnutrition problems, the economic crisis and humanitarian situation are deepening.
Bans Imposed on Daily Life
In accordance with the Taliban's strict interpretation of Sharia, watching films, playing chess, singing, and listening to or performing music are completely banned.
Men are required to grow long beards, and strict rules regarding participation in daily prayers continue to be enforced.
Women's Rights and Freedoms
Afghanistan is among the most oppressive countries in the world for women, with nearly two hundred Taliban decrees restricting women's freedom of movement.
Women are banned from going to school after the sixth grade, working in most jobs, traveling without a male relative, uncovering their faces in public spaces, and even speaking in public places.
Psychological Impacts and Exile
Shukria Barakzai, a former Afghan member of parliament living in exile in the UK, states that the psychological trauma caused by living without knowing whether the door to freedom will ever open again is immense.