For every woman Madina Mahboobi has hired in her aid organization in Kabul, she has hired a man. Either the husband, the brother or the father. The Taliban have decided that women must have a guardian if they are to move far from home. Mahboobi has found a kind of solution. – I have not appointed the men as guardians. I don’t want to normalize it. So they have their own work tasks that they have to do, says Mahboobi. – When we go out into the field, I make sure that everyone is at work. HALF OF THE PART NEED HELP: An increase in natural disasters, in addition to a decrease in international aid, has meant that half of all Afghans today are dependent on emergency aid. Photo: Atif Aryan / AFP news meets her in Oslo, where she is to talk about the situation in Afghanistan. The 29-year-old woman is one of the privileged ones who had the opportunity to leave the country when the Taliban took power in 2021, but who chose to stay. The friends fled, she stayed – I have felt let down. And very, very lonely, she tells me. All her friends fled when they realized that the Taliban were going to ban women from working. – And I understand that. But I have decided to stay and fight to restore the dignity of Afghan women, says Mahboobi. Madina Mahboobi (right) is director of the Vision Development Organization in Afghanistan. Photo: Private The Taliban have restricted women’s rights in unimaginable ways. Girls must leave school after the 6th grade and are excluded from working life. The exception is the health sector, which is why Mahboobi is allowed to work. Women are not allowed to use parks or swimming pools, play sports or speak loudly in public. But the most intrusive, for many, is the requirement to have a guardian. Women know trouble – My family has suffered a lot because of this, says Mahboobi. – My father and my brother have suddenly become my relatives. My brother did not pass his last year at university because he had to travel so much with me. Her mother has cancer. Once the father had to choose between accompanying his wife to the hospital for cancer treatment, or accompanying his daughter so that she received emergency care. Mahboobi’s organization works to distribute emergency aid. Half of all Afghans are dependent on humanitarian aid. Photo: Private The Taliban have said that women must have a male escort when they move further than 77 km from home. But most do not dare to leave home without a guardian, citing harassment from the Taliban. In a UN report, women say that they find it stressful to be dependent on a male family member. They know trouble. At the same time, many men refuse to be guardians, because it is time-consuming and because they also experience harassment from the Taliban. Taliban members inspect a solar panel in Kabul. Photo: Ahmad Sahel Arman / AFP A leader with strong control The Islamist movement was created during the civil war that arose after the Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989. The Taliban are best known for their brutal regime and extreme interpretation of Sharia. There is a lot of secrecy surrounding the top management, which is located in the city of Kandahar. There is only one picture of the leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada. He communicates in letter form, does not use modern technology and has never before performed in public. These are the only pictures to exist of Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader. The ticket has not been verified. Photo: Afghan Islamic Press / AP Akhundzada does everything he can to keep a low profile on the outside, but has almost total control inside the movement. From Kandahar, he controls the Taliban together with a handful of trustworthy people. – The Taliban is colorful But this is not the part of the Taliban Mahboobi deals with on a daily basis. It’s the men on the ground. She laughs and shakes her head when she tells about her first meeting with the Taliban. The purpose was to get permission to run her organisation, and she was to give a presentation. She was strictly instructed to speak in Pashto. – I replied that I only mastered it. And English, then. – Then he said “please, continue” in perfect English. I was completely shocked. Then we sat there for an hour and spoke English to each other, says Mahboobi. The Taliban celebrated its third anniversary in August. The picture shows a military parade in the city of Khost. Photo: AFP – The Taliban is colorful. I have seen different mentalities, degrees of extremism and flexibility. Some won’t look at you, some won’t talk to you, while others respect you and help you. “The ban is part of the process” Mahboobi has found a way to run the organisation, despite all the bans. Most recently, a decree came out that forbids women to speak loudly in public. – What do you think about it? – For me, this is noise. I choose to take on the big campaigns, such as making use of the few opportunities that still exist, so that women can work, she says. When there are new bans, Madina Mahboobi takes it as a challenge, part of the process, and not a barrier. BOOK CAMPAIGN: When the Taliban announced that girls are not allowed to go to school after the 6th grade, Madina Mahboobi organized a protest campaign in which they published books for girls. Photo: private The opportunity room is getting smaller Afghanistan researcher at Prio, Kristian Berg Harpviken, says that many foot soldiers have seen a bit between their fingers when it comes to the ban on women. He fears that may change in the future. – In the last six months, the Taliban have rolled out so-called ulema councils in the provinces, which are supposed to control the existing bureaucracy. Madina Mahboobi has to admit that she does not see the future too brightly. She sees that international aid is gradually decreasing, while the need is increasing. Natural disasters, bans on women and less aid have turned the situation in Afghanistan into one of the most complex crises in the world. Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi / AP But she will not leave her country, and she pleaded with the world not to isolate Afghanistan. – There are many Madinas on the ground. I hope people see us, and help us build ourselves up financially, so that we can fend for ourselves. Published 09.11.2024, at 09.32
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For every woman she hires, she must hire a man to look after her – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
