Telegraph Reports Sharp Rise in Restrictions on Women Since Taliban Return

The Telegraph has reported, citing a Western official, that since the Taliban administration returned to Afghanistan, the rights of women and girls, and their access to education, work, movement and participation in public life, have been significantly restricted.

According to the official, women who previously worked as judges, doctors, teachers, government employees and civil society leaders have now been forced to stay at home. The remarks were made on Thursday, Aug. 29.

The Western official also said he had spent much of his mission in Helmand province and had been involved in efforts to disrupt the Taliban administration’s drug trade. He added that at the time, the flow of heroin from Afghanistan to Britain and a number of European countries had been reduced to some extent.

Widespread restrictions on women and girls since the Taliban administration returned in 2021 have been one of the main targets of criticism from international institutions and the media. The Telegraph’s report also focuses on these consequences.