Silenced Dreams: Afghan Women Face Despair as Taliban Cuts Off Internet Access

Sat Oct 11 2025 06:04:07 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Afghan women, once hopeful for an education and career through online opportunities, face a devastating blow as the Taliban implements a nationwide internet shutdown. This move has severed their last ties to education and the outside world, plunging their futures into uncertainty.

With the Taliban's recent decision to shut down internet access across Afghanistan, many women who relied on online education and communication are left without resources. Graduates like Fahima Noori and teachers like Zabi share their struggles as educational opportunities vanish, leaving them in despair and helplessness. As they confront an uncertain future, the implications of this blackout on personal and professional development are profound, affecting their rights and aspirations in a restrictive regime.

Fahima Noori had big dreams when she graduated from university in Afghanistan. She had studied law, graduated from a midwifery programme and even worked in a mental health clinic. But all that was taken away when the Taliban swept into power in 2021. They banned girls over the age of 12 from getting an education, severely restricted job options for women and recently removed books written by women from universities.

For Fahima, the internet was her last lifeline to the outside world. I recently enrolled in an online university [and] I had hoped to finish my studies and find an online job, she said. On Tuesday, that lifeline was cut off when the Taliban imposed a nationwide internet shutdown that is set to last indefinitely. Our last hope was online learning. Now [even] that dream has been destroyed, said Fahima.

Over the past few weeks, the Taliban government began severing fibre-optic internet connections across several provinces, citing moral concerns. For many, they feared this might be the first step towards an entire internet shutdown. And on Tuesday, their worst fears came true. The country is currently experiencing a total internet blackout according to internet watchdog Netblocks - a move that has paralyzed the country's essential services.

International news agencies say they have lost contact with offices in the capital Kabul. Mobile internet and satellite TV have also been severely disrupted across Afghanistan. Flights from Kabul airport have also been disrupted, according to local media reports.

Shakiba, who lives in the northern province of Takhar, expressed her despair, Before this, I studied midwifery, but unfortunately that programme was banned for women... the only hope left for us was the internet and online learning. We want to study. We want to be educated. We want to be able to help people in our future. When I heard that the internet had been cut, the world felt dark to me.

For many Afghans, the internet was not just a means of education but a crucial part of their daily lives. Zabi, a teacher, lamented the loss of his students' opportunities, stating, They keep calling me asking 'Teacher, what should we do?' For the boys, there are still some English centres open, but for my female students, this was their last chance. And now even that is gone.

The Taliban's measures have escalated since they took power, imposing numerous restrictions on women's rights and access to education. The recent ban on internet access represents a significant blow to the hopes and futures of countless women and girls in Afghanistan.