Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, numerous people are trying to escape the war-torn nation. The majority of the people desperate to flee the country are Afghan women and children.
In the midst of chaos, a video has gone viral which has set an example of bravery and could be seen as a ray of hope.
In the latest viral video, a group of women could be seen protesting and demanding equal rights. These women are surrounded by armed Taliban fighters. Since the Taliban's harsh takeover
this is allegedly the first such agitation.
The video shared by Al Jazeera correspondent Hameed Mohammad Shah shows four women in black abayas and hijabs holding signs and shouting slogans, even while Taliban fighters patrolled nearby.
More women were seen walking through the streets, screaming slogans, in another video shared on the social media platform. The armed men appear to be pointing their attention and speaking
to the women, but they do not appear to be interfering with their demonstration.
According to Shah's translation, one woman says in the video, "No force can ignore and stifle women."
Taliban representatives, on the other hand, have claimed to defend women's rights, which is a big worry given the terrorist group's history of restricting women's rights and
freedoms. Women were generally restricted to their houses, not allowed to study or work, and could only travel if accompanied by a male companion when they were last in power.
"Women will be allowed to work and study. Of course, we have frameworks." At a press conference in Kabul, Zabihullah Mujahid, the group's spokesperson, said, "Women would
be highly involved in society but within the framework of Islam." The Taliban has attempted to show a more moderate front in comparison to its harsh government over two decades ago after quickly seizing control of major
cities across the nation with little resistance in recent weeks.
However, the reports of recent incidents have portrayed story that is contrary to these claims.
Several allegations have surfaced in recent weeks claiming that the Taliban has issued orders for men and women, including what they can wear, what is allowed and what's not.
Also Read: Taliban fighters laugh off question if female politicians will be chosen to power. Watch video
Girls have been barred from attending school and their freedom of movement has been curtailed. Forcible weddings have also been reported.
To protect themselves from the Taliban, women are once again putting burqas and threatened to delete proof of their education and lives outside the home.
In the northern province of Balkh, the Taliban reportedly murdered a young woman for wearing tight clothing and without being accompanied by a male relative.
According to reports, Taliban insurgents shot and killed a 21-year-old woman in the terrorist group's controlled village of Samar Qandian.
Activists and world officials are also concerned about history repeating. Zarifa Ghafari, one of Afghanistan's first female mayors, has stated, "I had no choice except to wait for
the Taliban to come and kill me."
Just a few weeks after the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban managed to seize all the major cities of the country. As President Asraf Ghani fled the country on August
15, the Afghan government collapse and the Taliban declared war to be over.