“From my perspective, Afghanistan has turned into a women’s prison”

Rabia

Basketball athlete, Herat

A woman in a black facemask and hijab stands by french doors, looking to the right.

“Before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, I was a member of the national basketball team and worked on assignment at a prison as a sports coach for female prisoners. I was a member of the national basketball team for about 10 years, and as an athlete I had the opportunity to travel to several countries, although there were great challenges along the way. I had worked hard to achieve this and was proud of my accomplishments. But after the events of 15 August, all my dreams were shattered overnight.

Right now, things in the country are very unpredictable. It’s like going to sleep at night, and when you wake up in the morning, you find out that they’ve added new rules for women. The hardest part for me was when they said girls can’t play sports anymore. I had put in so much effort and overcome so many challenges to make it to the National Basketball Team, and suddenly, they took away my job, my freedom and the sport I loved.

Before the arrival of the Taliban, I had a job I loved, a good income, and I was supporting my family. But now, I am facing numerous financial difficulties.

I grew up with the sound of the bouncing ball, the dust of the court and the thrill of the game. The basketball court was my refuge, the one place where I could release my energy and find comfort. It’s been two long years since I last stepped onto that court, and its absence has been a constant ache in my heart. It’s like when a child really wants their favourite toy, but then it’s suddenly taken away from them in a terrible way.

In my opinion, the fears of the mothers of this generation will cast a shadow on the children they give birth to and burden them with physical and mental suffering in the years to come.

Since I refused to remain silent in the face of such an oppressive regime, I joined the ranks of other resilient women in the streets and joined them in demanding women’s rights against the Taliban. We participated in numerous protests and were determined to challenge the unjust restrictions imposed on us.

The country’s stability is at a critical point with sudden, oppressive restrictions on women, causing fear and insecurity. From my perspective, Afghanistan has turned into a women’s prison that is even more restrictive than the prison where I’d worked. In that prison, women had certain rights, including the right to play sports.

Now, I train about 50 girls below the sixth grade in one of the orphanages in Herat. I train them in sports like volleyball, soccer and basketball. I also secretly teach some of the older girls.

I appeal to the international community not to support the Taliban and to pay attention to the difficult living conditions of women in Afghanistan.”

“My sport, my art and all my efforts became meaningless overnight”

Veiled young woman holds books in a meeting space, wearing a facemask.