Destitute Afghan women arrested by them and detained for begging under their draconian new laws have spoken to the Guardian and Afgan news about the “brutal” and beatings they suffered during their detention.
The Taliban abuse children and women
In recent months, many women have said they have been targeted by Taliban officials and arrested under anti-begging laws passed this year. While in prison, they claim they were subjected to sexual abuse, torture and forced labour, and witnessed children being beaten and abused.
Begging is the only option
All the women said they had no choice but to beg on the streets for money and food for their children since they could not find paid work.
Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, women have been excluded from most paid work, leading to rising levels of poverty, particularly among female-headed households, across the country.
The Taliban banned work and begging
In May, the Taliban passed new laws banning “healthy people” from begging on the streets if they have enough money on them to pay for a day’s food.
A committee was set up to register applicants and categorize them as ‘professionals’, ‘destitute’ or ‘organised’, which involves taking biometrics and fingerprints. According to Taliban officials, nearly 60,000 beggars have already been arrested in Kabul alone.
The case of Afghani Zahra
Zahra*, a 32-year-old mother of three, said she was forced to move to Kabul and beg on the streets for food when her husband, who served in the previous government’s national army, disappeared after the Taliban took power in August of 2021.
“I went to the neighborhood councilor and told him I was a widow, asking for help to feed my three children. He said there was no help and told me to sit by the oven and maybe someone would give me something.”
Zahra said she was unaware of the Taliban’s anti-begging laws until she was arrested.
Rape and wood until anesthesia
“A Taliban car stopped near the bakery. They took my son by force and told me to get into the vehicle,” he said. Zahra claimed that she spent three days and nights in a Taliban prison and was initially forced to cook, clean and wash clothes for the men who worked there.
She was then told that she would be fingerprinted and her biometrics recorded. When she resisted, they beat her until she was unconscious. She said she was then raped.
“I’ve thought about ending my life”
“Since I was released I have thought several times of ending my life, but my children hold me back,” she said. “I wonder who would feed them if I wasn’t here.
“Who can I complain to? No one will care and I’m afraid I’ll be arrested again if I talk. For my life and the safety of my children, I cannot say anything.”
The case of the Afghan Parwana
Another woman, Parwana*, said she was arrested while begging in Kabul in October with her four-year-old daughter after her husband abandoned them. He said he was taken to Badam Bagh jail and kept for 15 days.
“They brought everyone in, even little kids who were shining shoes on the streets,” he said. “They told us women why we don’t get married, they beat us and made us clean and wash dishes.”
Parwana also said that she, along with two other women, was raped during detention and that the attack had left her traumatized and depressed.
Flogging children to death
Along with multiple reports of rape and torture of women arrested under anti-begging laws, former prisoners also told Afghan news agency Zan Times that they witnessed the abuse of young children in the prison, with one woman claiming two children were beaten to death. while in custody.
“No one dared to speak,” he said. “If we spoke, they beat us and called us shameless. Seeing these children die in front of my eyes is something I will never forget.”
When the law provides for the death of the imprisoned beggar
The death of prisoners arrested under anti-begging laws is taken into account in the wording of the new Taliban law, in which Article 25 states: “If a beggar dies while in custody and has no relatives or if the family refuses to receive the body, the municipal officials will undertake the burial.”
Under the new laws, those classified as “indigent” are legally entitled to financial assistance after their release, but none of the women said they received any assistance.
“We are alone”
Parwana stated that after her release she was too afraid to beg for food again and instead relied on her neighbors for alms.
“These days, I go door to door in my neighborhood, collecting stale, dry bread. I have no choice,” he said. “The Taliban are brutal and oppressive, but where can I go to protest against them? We are alone.”
Taliban officials were contacted by the Guardian but did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Source:
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the interviewees and the author.
This article was published in collaboration with the Afghan news agency Zan Times.
