For thousands of Afghan women, including Safia, the clock is ticking. They’ve been kicked out of Iran and sent back to Afghanistan. These women struggle to navigate a society where they cannot secure housing or employment without the approval of a male guardian. Many face daily threats and hardships as they attempt to rebuild their lives in a country that has significantly changed since they left.
The reality grows even more dire as over 40,000 asylum seekers daily get deported back to Iran. Between June 1 and July 23 of this year, an estimated 800,000 undocumented Afghan refugees and migrants were sent back. Of these, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 153,000 were women. This tidal wave of women coming back to Afghanistan has compounded an already devastating humanitarian crisis.
In the course of her service, Safia fled to Iran with her two children in 2018, escaping years of escalating violence from her husband. Now, she finds herself especially at risk. In Iran, she flourished—owning a handbag factory. Now, back in Afghanistan, the absurd rules set down by the current Taliban regime mean that she isn’t even allowed to work outside. The abuse that Elham faces from her husband, family members, or others deepens because she is made to live in fear of her husband’s family.
Fahima, another woman caught up in the deportations, describes her experiences in finding housing. “They tell me outright that Taliban rules forbid it,” she says, referring to the restrictions on women seeking rental agreements independently. Consequently, she’s been couch surfing with family members since returning home to Herat.
While there are no landlords who will rent to single, unmarried women. The dark truth staring these women in the face is corroborated by two rental agents. According to one of the agents, “All rental contracts need to be registered with Taliban intelligence. If we house an unaccompanied female person, we could be thrown in jail.” This policy of “no” has created a perfect storm where hundreds of other women like Fahima have nowhere to turn.
Maida’s situation is equally desperate. She moved to Iran with her son after her husband, a police officer under the previous government, died in a military operation. When Maida was deported back to Afghanistan, she was detained separately from her one-year-old son. “They wouldn’t let me go home to get my son,” she recounts. “They simply brought me to the deportation center in Shandiz and deported me back to Herat.”
The situation of these women goes far beyond housing. Raqia, a widow just back from the UAE, vents her disappointment in job prospects. She reflects that the only work that remains are the underground and dangerous jobs. Women are unable to escape the generational trap of being unable to support themselves and their families.
Sabera remembers her painful journey of being forced out of Iran. “They wouldn’t even allow us to bring our furniture. We were allowed to take the clothes on our back and nothing more, but one outfit per person,” she says regretfully. She highlights the trauma faced by her children due to their experiences in Iran: “The Iranian police tortured my two sons that they were unable to eat. The consequence of that became I had to take them to the hospital constantly. My children now suffer from trauma. No one listens to us. We are refugees – we are not to have rights.
Zuhal Nabi offers additional insight into the reality that Afghan women are living today. She mentions that of the 153,000 women deported back to Afghanistan, 8% head female-headed households, many returning alone with their children and without a husband or male guardian for support.
These women fight their new realities with a bravery that we should admire. Their stories vividly illustrate the profound psychic dislocation that hits when they go back home. Virtually each one laments what they’ve lost, whether it’s their belongings or feeling safe in their own neighborhoods. Most are ill-equipped to search for permanent housing or gainful job prospects that would enable them to rebuild their lives.