They said you are a woman, go home: Afghan journalist talks about life after Taliban takeover
Shabnam Dawran, who is a TV news anchor in Afghanistan, shared her experience at work a day after the Taliban rose to power in Kabul. She said that she was not allowed to enter her office for being a woman.
After taking over the effective control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have been asking women journalists in the government-owned media platforms to not come to work, said TV anchor Shabnam Dawran.
Q. Taliban have said that women will have all their rights. Tell us what happened with you.
I work in state-run news organisation RTA Pashto. After the Taliban took over Kabul, I went to my office the next morning where I was told to not come to work. When I asked what the reason was, they said the rules have now changed and women are not allowed to work in RTA anymore.
When they announced earlier that women would be allowed to study and go to work, I got excited. But then I experienced the reality in my office where I was told that women won’t be allowed to work. I showed them my identity cards, but still, they asked me to go home.
Q. Have they given a similar order to the women anchors of other channels as well like TOLOnews?
No, they have asked only those women who work in state-run organisations to not come to work. Since TOLOnews is a private channel, they have not issued a similar order for women there.
