Women journalists fear for life in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan

The collapse of Afghanistan government and Taliban's return to power has sent shockwaves throughout the world. But the forcible change in government means a lot of things for Afghan people. There is a lot of apprehension about what will happen next within the country.

The Taliban are hardline Islamists who have extreme ideas about number of social matters like gender equality. During their previous reign in late 90s, Taliban had imposed harsh, oppressive restrictions on women and brutally punished, even killed those who appeared to 'violate' their diktat by slightest of margins.

Women journalists now fear retribution by the Taliban. They already have been receiving death threats from Taliban and those against gender equality. Now these women journalists are trying to destroy their online footprint as well as keep a low profile.

“In the last 24 hours, our lives have changed and we have been confined to our homes, and death threatens us at every moment...We see silence filled with fear of the Taliban around us,” The Guardian quoted a woman journalist as saying.

There are reports of Taliban already establishing harsh rule against women. There are also reports of women and girls forcibly being taken as wives or sexually exploited by Taliban fighters.