Date: 07/12/1401 The Guardian: Taliban, by Closing Safe Houses, Once Again Exposes Women to Violence
Monday, 1401/12/07

The Guardian reports that the Taliban have shut down safe houses, shelters for women victims of violence, and organizations that provided psychological counseling services. These closures have once again left vulnerable women exposed to abuse and exploitation.

According to the report, since taking power, the Taliban have closed 16 women’s shelters and 12 family support centers that were supported by a U.S.-based nonprofit organization. The Taliban also seized the properties associated with these centers. As a result, nearly a thousand women who had been under protection were forced to return to their homes, where many have once again faced abuse—primarily by their husbands.

Kevin Schumacher, a representative of one of the organizations that supported women affected by violence, said he has made repeated efforts to negotiate with the Taliban. “We have met with some Taliban leaders and explained the importance of these efforts,” he stated. “We told them these shelters are not Western institutions—they exist in many Islamic countries around the world.”
The Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice—an office that replaced the former Ministry of Women’s Affairs—has ignored all requests to reopen or preserve these protective services.

Maryam (pseudonym), an exiled Afghan psychologist, told The Guardian she has spent over a year searching for 15 women she once counseled—survivors of domestic violence who lost access to support after the Taliban takeover. Among the missing is Farzaneh, a 28-year-old survivor whose husband was addicted to drugs. Their disappearance highlights the grave risks Afghan women face in the absence of protective services under Taliban rule.

Following the shutdown of her organization and the flight of her colleagues, Maryam continues to provide limited mental health support remotely.