Afghan women tell the BBC their lives are unrecognisable after five years of Taliban rule

Five years on from the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, women and girls have told the BBC their lives are unrecognisable under the rule of the regime.The hard-line Islamist group has been eroding the rights of the 22 million women in the country since it re-gained control in 2021- two decades after being removed from power by a US-led military coalition.The BBC is one of the few media organisations that has been able to maintain access to Afghanistan since the takeover. We spoke to women across the country, from the heart of Kabul to the vast countryside.They have watched on as the Taliban barred access to school for girls over 12, restricted travel without a male chaperone and brought in a law implying legal approval for child marriage.When questioned by BBC-afghan" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="185690" data-entity-type="organization">BBC Afghan over the constraints that women face, the Taliban's foreign minister said: "Women are not totally restricted on all walks of life".But the restrictions impact almost every part of their lives and make it difficult to tell their stories. Many of the women have not used their real names because they fear reprisals."People are so overwhelmed by poverty and daily hardships that many have been forced to put their education, dreams, and hopes for the future aside," Ela from Kabul said."Today, survival has become the priority, and many of us no longer have the time or energy to think about the future."