RASC News Agency: Despite the Taliban’s widespread restrictions on women’s social and economic participation, a new United Nations report reveals that Afghanistani women entrepreneurs continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and innovation, expanding their businesses across regional markets, including South Asia and the Gulf states. The UN Women division, in its report released on Tuesday, September 23, underscores that Afghanistani women, despite operating under the shadow of systemic oppression and economic instability, are leveraging regional trade opportunities to sustain and grow their enterprises. Their determination and adaptability vividly demonstrate that the Taliban’s policies, aimed at silencing and marginalizing women, have failed to suppress their entrepreneurial spirit.
Among the highlighted entrepreneurs is a 32-year-old woman from Herat, managing the food production company “Chashni”. She explained: “I never imagined I would have the opportunity to represent my business in a foreign market. This is not merely about selling products; it is a statement that Afghanistani women can thrive and succeed under even the most restrictive circumstances.” Her company, established after the Taliban’s return to power, specializes in saffron and culinary spices, offering a lifeline to local farmers and creating opportunities for women to assert their economic agency.
She further noted: “We purchase one kilogram of premium saffron from Herati farmers for up to 97,000 kabuli rupees and sell it for as much as 120,000 Kabulis Rupees.” This trade not only supports family incomes but also challenges the Taliban’s efforts to erase women from public and economic life.
The UN report additionally warns that with shrinking employment opportunities and Taliban-imposed limitations on women’s mobility and professional engagement, many Afghanistani women are forced to seek alternative, often precarious, means of livelihood. Restrictions on work, education, and public participation continue to create immense structural barriers, yet Afghanistani women’s persistence showcases their courage and ingenuity in confronting systemic oppression.
Experts cited in the UN report assert that such entrepreneurial initiatives are more than economic endeavors they represent acts of defiance against the Taliban’s draconian policies and a broader assertion of women’s agency, autonomy, and rightful place in society. These efforts starkly contrast with the Taliban’s ideological drive to confine women to the domestic sphere, demonstrating that Afghanistani women remain determined to claim their space in both local and global economies.
Despite these extraordinary achievements, the report emphasizes that the sustainability of women-led enterprises remains under severe threat. Afghanistani businesswomen face ongoing harassment, social restrictions, and the constant risk of intervention by Taliban authorities, highlighting the urgent need for international support, protective policies, and market access initiatives.
In conclusion, the UN report portrays Afghanistani women entrepreneurs as both resilient and visionary, forging a path toward economic independence and social empowerment, even under one of the most repressive regimes in recent history. Their success is a testament to the enduring human spirit and an unambiguous rebuke of the Taliban’s systemic efforts to suppress half of Afghanistan’s population.
