Afghan women in the UK: amplifying their voice a photo essay

"Since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the regime has imposed sweeping restrictions on the rights of women and girls, with devastating consequences for society. Girls are barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, and women are prohibited from working, appearing on television, leaving the house alone, and singing or speaking in public. They have been systematically erased from public life. A recent UN Women report underscores the scale of this repression."

"The Afghanistan Gender Index 2025 reveals, among other findings: No female representation in national or local decision-making bodies. A complete ban on secondary education for girls. A staggering 76% gender gap across health, education, finance, and governance one of the worst in the world. Despite this, political voices in the UK frequently call for deportations to Afghanistan. And the voices of those most directly affected are largely absent: female Afghan refugees."

"Reclaiming the camera for this project highlights the power of visibility and storytelling. The aim of the series is not only to show the faces of these women but to amplify their voices. Maryam Khurram sometimes feels guilty for the freedom she has in the UK that her sister lacks back home. Photograph: Claudia Janke Maryam Khurram, urban designer, London I am an architect and artist from Kabul. I was born during a time much like now, when girls were banned from education."

Since the Taliban's 2021 return, Afghan women and girls face sweeping bans that erase them from public life: no secondary education, exclusion from work and media, prohibition on leaving the house alone, and bans on singing or speaking publicly. The Afghanistan Gender Index 2025 records no female representation in national or local decision-making and a 76% gender gap across health, education, finance, and governance. UK political calls for deportations contrast with the near silence of female Afghan refugee voices. A photographic project reclaims the Instant Box Camera to restore visibility, record women's faces, and amplify their personal testimonies and aspirations.

Read at www.theguardian.com