Three years after the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan millions of people continue to struggle amid what is one of the world’s biggest and most complex humanitarian crises.

Among a population of around 42 million, 24 million are deemed to be in need by aid agencies. Half of those in need are children and a quarter are women.

Despite the improvements in the country’s security situation, Afghanistan has been beset by compounding problems – from the ongoing economic crisis, triggered by the exit of foreign aid, the legacy of decades of conflict, the impacts of climate change and prolonged drought.

After establishment of the Taliban government, which remains unrecognised by any foreign state or international institution, western donors immediately cut off the development aid that had covered 75 per cent of the previous government’s budget.

The withdrawal of support plunged Afghanistan into an economic and humanitarian crisis with millions of Afghans struggling to survive the first winter under the Taliban.

The nation teetered on the brink of failure with public servants going unpaid and the national going into free fall.

Since then, the west has enforced a raft of sanctions, asset freezes and banking restrictions. At the same time, they have devoted billions of dollars to mitigating poverty and preventing famine, while some have kept in discreet contact with the Taliban about security issues.

So, three years into the Taliban’s rule, the lives of ordinary Afghans have improved in some ways and deteriorated in others.

Most striking among the negative impacts of the Taliban has been the institutionalised exclusion of women and girls from many aspects of public life.

When it comes to women, the Taliban is the most discriminatory regime in the world.

Its draconian restrictions on women and girls filter through most aspects of national life.

The Taliban has banned women and girls from attending public secondary schools and universities.

Women have also been blocked from working for the UN and NGOs, while other rulings have blocked them from going to parks, public baths, gyms and beauty salons.

Overall, the return of Taliban has meant a drastic rollback of freedoms that Afghan women, especially those who live in cities and towns, enjoyed under the previous government.

Melbourne-based Afghan community leader Amina Yousufi said that whole generation of Afghan women and girls had had their hopes and dream for the future shattered by the return of the Taliban.

“Millions of Afghan women had dreamed of having professional careers, who dreamed of having a say in how the country is run, or even of hold public office are now despairing,” Amina said.

“The future is now bleak for a whole generation of Afghan women. They have gone from being able to study at university to needing permission to go and buy groceries. Many are trying to find a way to leave the country,” she said.  

The major improvement in the lives of Afghans under the Taliban has come because of improved security.

In the two-decade-long war’s final stages, tens of thousands of Afghans lost their lives every year, making it for some years the world’s deadliest conflict.

Millions of others were forced to flee their homes. The violence abated with the return of the Taliban.

Relative security has helped the new authorities repair some of the country’s decaying infrastructure, particularly transport and waterworks.

The Taliban has also ended much of the corruption for which the former government was notorious.

It is estimated that between 2001 to 2021, corrupt officials stole billions of dollars of foreign assistance.

The Taliban has kept on much of the previous bureaucracy but has taken stringent anti-corruption measures, making more efficient the working of government.

Reference: The New Humanitarian | Three years on, the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate is full of contradictions