Despair Deepens: Afghan Women and the Internet Shutdown by Taliban

Fri Oct 10 2025 11:46:51 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Taliban's recent indefinite internet shutdown has crushed the dreams of Afghan women, cutting them off from educational opportunities and vital social connections. The implications are dire as they face increased limitations in their quest for education and autonomy.

Fahima Noori, a law graduate, epitomizes the plight of Afghan women in the wake of the Taliban’s internet ban. The shutdown has severed their last connection to education and the wider world, plunging many like Fahima into despair. With no access to online learning or job opportunities, female students fear for their future as Iran tightens its grip on their rights.

Despair Deepens: Afghan Women and the Internet Shutdown by Taliban

Fahima Noori had big dreams when she graduated from university in Afghanistan. She had studied law, graduated from a midwifery program, and even worked in a mental health clinic. But all that was taken away when the Taliban swept into power in 2021, banning girls over 12 from education and severely restricting job options for women. Recently, they began removing books written by women from universities.

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

‘We all sit at home doing nothing’

In the days leading up to the shutdown, the Taliban began severing fiber-optic internet connections across provinces, justifying it as a measure against immorality. On Tuesday, that fear turned into a reality as the country faced a total internet blackout, paralyzing essential services and communication.

International news agencies have reported disruptions in contact with their offices in Kabul, alongside severe disruptions to mobile internet and satellite TV across the country. Local voices have shared how internet outages have changed their lives dramatically.

Shakiba, from the northern province of Tahkar, expressed: Before this, I studied midwifery, but the program was banned for women. The only hope left for us was the internet and online learning. When I heard that the internet had been cut, the world felt dark to me. Similarly, Fahima feels helpless, observing: We dreamed of finishing our education and helping our father financially, but now... we all sit at home doing nothing.

This bleak situation isn't isolated to students — teachers are also severely impacted. Zabi, once an English teacher with mixed-gender classes, now finds his classes in disarray as internet access disappears. He described how 45 students were interrupted during an exam due to the internet shutdown, having prepared diligently for it.

Students and teachers alike report being cut off from essential educational resources due to exorbitant costs of mobile data. A monthly plan is prohibitively expensive compared to the previous cost of Wi-Fi. Many are left with the fear of a grim future devoid of educational opportunities.

The Taliban government has yet to provide an official rationale for the shutdown but has hinted at a potential alternative for internet access. Many Afghans, however, are skeptical about their promises. As businesses suffer and students face losing their educational prospects, the outcry for change grows louder.

The dreams of Afghan women for a better future are increasingly dimming under the weight of oppression and the stifling of their voices through internet censorship.