Women

Women, girls turn to crafting amid school closures in Afghanistan

With the Taliban’s ban on secondary education and universities for girls and women in Afghanistan, many have pivoted to crafting and other professions. A group of 60 girls celebrated their graduation from a tailoring and art training center in Kabul on Wednesday.

The graduates, former school students, joined the crafting training centers for a year to overcome the challenges of staying at home due to the education ban. Despite the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment, these new graduates remain hopeful about finding jobs.

“I trained for a year and had good activities during this period. This motivated me to further engage in the business and learn more about this profession,” said Najma Farahmand, a trainee. Vida Amiri, another trainee, shared her enthusiasm for the training, noting her interest in tailoring and painting.

Some of the girls have also used their art to protest the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls. “The problems we face caused us to overcome the restrictions through art,” stated Narwa, a female artist.

The UN report further highlighted the growing interest of girls in various professions following the imposition of repressive restrictions by the Taliban.