KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local sources in Panjshir say that the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has shut down women’s tailoring training workshops in the Rukha district of the province.
According to the sources, these workshops had been established by the World Food Programme to teach tailoring skills to women and to strengthen household economies.
However, the sources say that Taliban officials claimed that the purpose of such programs, which are initiated by foreign organizations, is not to support women, but rather to “promote the unveiling of women.”
According to the information from the sources, the World Food Programme had set up two tailoring workshops in Rukha district of Panjshir, where more than 50 women were engaged in learning this profession.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have imposed widespread restrictions on women’s education and employment. The group has previously shut down vocational training workshops for women in several other provinces as well.
Similarly, a new report by UN-Habitat highlights how broader structural challenges in Afghanistan are further worsening the situation for women, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. Driven by internal displacement, forced returns, and an ongoing economic crisis, rapid urbanization is not creating better opportunities as expected.
Instead, it is deepening gender inequality, especially in informal settlements where women and girls already face severe restrictions under Taliban rule, including limited access to education, employment, and public life.
Moreover, the report emphasizes that these restrictions intersect with additional hardships such as insecure housing, lack of basic services like water and sanitation, unsafe public spaces, and shrinking livelihood opportunities.
As a result, women and girls are increasingly pushed into vulnerable conditions, reinforcing cycles of poverty and marginalization. This reflects a broader pattern also seen in cases like the closure of women’s training workshops, where opportunities for skill-building and economic independence are being systematically reduced.
Overall, both developments point to a growing concern: without targeted international support, inclusive urban planning, and the restoration of women’s rights, Afghanistan’s rapid urban growth may continue to widen the gender gap. As cities expand under pressure, the absence of supportive policies risks leaving women and girls even further behind in the years ahead.
