Five Years of Taliban Rule: Can Global Engagement Bring Change for Afghan Women?

In a village south of Kabul, a small group of young women work in a basement workshop making fruit preserves from cherries and plums. The workshop, led by 47-year-old Najia, a mother of nine, is among the few remaining spaces where Afghan women can develop skills and earn an income.

But even such opportunities are becoming increasingly restricted. Under recent rules, women are required to rely on men to transport their products to markets, while only men are permitted to operate stalls displaying women's products at trade fairs.

The Taliban have cited various reasons for the restrictions, including allegations that women are not observing appropriate hijab or head-covering requirements. Najia says the international community needs to change the way it engages with the Taliban, warning that Afghan women are losing hope.

The wider restrictions have transformed Afghan society since the Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, 2021. Girls over the age of 12 remain barred from secondary schools, while women have been excluded from many areas of public life.

The restrictions on women are among several major issues complicating international engagement with Afghanistan. Other challenges include Taliban policies, international sanctions, a deteriorating humanitarian situation and reductions in foreign aid.

The United Nations estimates that around 22 million Afghans, nearly half the country's population, depend on some form of international assistance for survival. Afghanistan has also faced a severe economic crisis, natural disasters, clashes with neighbouring Pakistan and the return of millions of Afghans expelled or deported from other countries.

Despite international isolation, the Taliban have strengthened their control over the country. They collect taxes and have signed agreements in areas including mining and energy with countries such as China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban government. However, more than 40 Afghan embassies are now reportedly under Taliban administration, while several countries have established practical diplomatic and economic relations with Kabul.

The debate over engagement has intensified as some officials argue that pressure and isolation have failed to produce meaningful changes.

The United Nations continues to support dialogue, saying that even limited engagement can help improve humanitarian access and address issues such as the treatment of prisoners and implementation of Taliban laws.

A new diplomatic process, known as the “Mosaic” process, is focusing on six major areas, including human rights, women's rights, inclusive governance and counterterrorism. The Taliban, meanwhile, are seeking sanctions relief, the restoration of frozen assets and greater diplomatic representation.

However, critics argue that negotiations have so far produced little meaningful improvement for Afghan women. Women's rights activists say the international community must attach clear conditions to engagement with the Taliban.

The issue has also emerged in European diplomacy. In June, European Union officials hosted a Taliban Foreign Ministry delegation in Brussels for talks on the return of Afghan nationals who did not have the legal right to remain in the EU. While the EU described the meeting as technical, critics viewed it as part of a gradual process of normalising relations with the Taliban.

Afghan women's rights activist Mahbouba Seraj, who has remained in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, says dialogue should continue but must result in meaningful outcomes. Her shelter for women fleeing domestic violence was closed in December, while repeated calls to reopen educational institutions for women and girls have failed.

After five years of Taliban rule, there appears to be no simple or immediate solution. Some analysts argue that international pressure alone cannot transform Afghanistan and that meaningful change will ultimately have to come from within the country.

For women such as Najia, however, the struggle continues. Her jam-making workshop and the certificates from various training programmes represent an effort to build an independent future despite the restrictions. Many Afghans continue to hope that the international community will not forget them.