Afghan women are increasingly turning to indoor protests as violent crackdowns by the Taliban continue to rise in Afghanistan. These indoor protests, organized through WhatsApp and Telegram groups, are a way for women to voice their opposition to the Taliban’s oppressive regime while minimizing the risk of arrest and violence. By posting pictures and videos of their protests on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter), Afghan women are drawing attention to the worsening crisis and allowing international rights groups to document abuses and opposition to the Taliban.
The images and videos of women protesting on the streets have been instrumental in compelling the international community to take notice and not look away from the atrocities being committed in Afghanistan. However, the indoor protests also serve as a valuable way for Afghan women to assert their presence and resistance in between the risky street protests. By protesting indoors, they send a powerful message that their fight for justice and freedom is far from over, even if they are not visible on the streets every day.
One prominent women’s rights group, the Purple Saturdays Movement, has been organizing a series of indoor protests since the fall of Kabul. The group initially held street protests but had to move indoors after many of its members were arrested and imprisoned by the Taliban. Founder Maryam Marof Arwin, a former television news anchor, acknowledges the risks involved in broadcasting their protests on social media, as they face insults, warnings, and threats of prison and death from the Taliban and their supporters. However, she emphasizes that they will not give up their fight to expose the crimes of the Taliban to the world.
While social media has become a crucial tool for Afghan women to document and share evidence of abuses, it also presents challenges. The Taliban, who previously banned the internet during their previous rule in the late 1990s, have now embraced social media as a means to broadcast their messages and target critics. Though Facebook and YouTube continue to block many Taliban accounts, women’s rights activists often face criticism and harassment on these platforms. Moreover, limited mobile phone ownership and poor internet access make it difficult for Afghan women to access and verify online evidence of protests and rights violations.
Afghan Witness, a platform launched in October 2021, allows citizens to upload their own evidence of abuse. However, due to fear and safety concerns, most witnesses are reluctant to upload video footage themselves. As a result, investigators at Afghan Witness primarily rely on social media channels to collect and analyze data. They use open-source techniques such as geolocation and chronolocation to verify and archive photographs and videos on social media. While indoor protests can be easier to find online than outdoor demonstrations, they are harder to geolocate or verify since they usually consist of only one piece of recorded footage.
The Centre for Information Resilience, which monitors women’s protests in Afghanistan, has recorded and analyzed 95 separate women’s protests between March 1 and June 27 of this year. Out of these, 84 were held indoors. As outdoor protests have diminished, there has been an increase in the number and geographic spread of indoor protests, with more groups participating in different locations. These indoor protests not only showcase solidarity within the community but also raise awareness internationally about the plight of Afghan women.
In the visuals of protests posted on social media, more than half of the women are fully covered, while about a third are partially covered by veils, masks, or posters. The face coverings serve as a means to protect protesters from being identified by the Taliban. However, there are also women who participate without covering their faces, aiming to inspire others to overcome fear and be vocal in their resistance against the Taliban. They believe that silence and fear play into the hands of the Taliban and thus choose to defy them by openly expressing their dissent.
Despite the growing repression, abuse, and threats faced by the protesters, women’s groups in Afghanistan remain determined to continue their fight for justice and freedom. They are preparing to hold street protests on August 15, marking the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul. While such actions are not without risks in a country where the international community has seemingly turned its back on Afghan women, these activists are resolute in their commitment to bring attention to their cause. They refuse to be silenced and remain fearless in their pursuit of a better future for themselves and their fellow Afghan women.
