logo
episode-header-image
Oct 5
17m 28s

Afghanistan: Women disconnected

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Women and girls in Afghanistan have been excluded from much of the working world, as well as from the chance to get an education.

Many are finding ways to bring in an income for their families, but a 48-hour internet shutdown threatened this recently.

We hear the experiences of shopkeepers, tech workers and charity bosses in the country.

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Producer/presenter: Hannah Bewley

(Photo: Afghan women in burkas walk along a road in the Argo district of Badakhshan province, 28 August, 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Nov 21
What happens when the aid money runs out?
<p>In the second of our two-part series on tightening aid budgets, Sam Fenwick explores what shrinking donor support means for global health — from the sudden halt to major US-funded projects, to the pressure on low-income countries to increase their own health spending.</p><p>As ... Show More
17m 30s
Nov 20
What's next for USAID funded projects?
<p>We examine the fallout from the cuts to US foreign aid.</p><p>We meet projects in Rwanda and Nepal that were close to shutting down - and hear the story of a mystery donor who stepped in to keep them going. </p><p>But how long will the support last? </p><p>Presented and produ ... Show More
17m 28s
Nov 19
Is cricket financially healthy?
<p>One of world sport's biggest rivalries gets underway this week, with England and Australia going head to head in the Ashes. Most matches will last around four or five days, but it's actually the short form of the game that is growing the fastest - and bringing in big audiences ... Show More
17m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
The Afghan women writers who witnessed the fall of Kabul
<p><strong></strong>The resurgence of the Taliban in August 2021 sent shockwaves throughout the world. Images from Afghanistan showed fear, panic and unrest looming. With the country back under Taliban rule, a group of Afghan women writers feared the worst. They kept in touch wit ... Show More
27m 32s
Sep 20
A radio lifeline for Afghan women
Women in Afghanistan are unable to access education, and getting medical help is difficult. But a radio station in the Panjshir Valley is trying to get crucial information to them nevertheless. Their broadcasts cover everything from breast feeding to basic school science lessons ... Show More
26m 29s
Jun 2024
Kaleidoscope recommends: Afghan Star!
A young radio producer in Afghanistan is given an impossible task: to create a brand new, revolutionary talent show in just two months. ... To purchase original Afghan Star artwork visit www.awastudios.com/afghanstar — proceeds go to support The Noor Initiative, who are on a miss ... Show More
43m 21s
Aug 2023
L’asile au Pakistan ou l'exil scolaire des jeunes Afghanes
Des milliers de familles afghanes ont trouvé refuge depuis que les talibans ont pris le pouvoir en Afghanistan en août 2021. De nombreuses familles ont le choix de l’exil pour pouvoir simplement offrir une éducation à leurs filles privées d’enseignement secondaire et supérieur pa ... Show More
19m 30s
Aug 2024
Fading Hopes of the Forgotten
Women’s and girls’ freedoms and opportunities have eroded at an alarming rate in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power there three years ago. But there is little agreement internationally or even among Afghans on how to reverse that trend. Intense ethnic and ideological divi ... Show More
47m 4s
Mar 2025
#184 Growing Threat - Christian Persecution in Syria, Homeland Attacks and How to Prepare
Shawn Ryan Show welcomes back Sarah Adams, Scott Mann and Legend to the show. This episode explores the growing influence of terrorist networks in Afghanistan and Syria, with guests detailing how al-Qaeda and the Taliban have facilitated the training and mobilization of fighters. ... Show More
2h 21m
Feb 2025
The Fifth Floor: What the US left behind in Afghanistan
When the American troops withdrew from Afghanistan, they left behind $7bn of military supplies. Where are they now? Hafizullah Maroof from BBC Afghan will take us inside the Kabul flea market that sells second-hand military equipment to the Taliban. Plus: the origin story of capo ... Show More
26m 31s
Mar 2024
Women's radio in Afghanistan
As a new school year starts in Afghanistan, 330,000 more girls will be excluded from secondary education, one of the ways in which women and girls are increasingly confined to their homes under the Taliban regime. In light of this, BBC Media Action is running the Women’s Voice ra ... Show More
41m 1s
Sep 2024
Fawzia Koofi: Women's rights in Afghanistan
Stephen Sackur speaks to the former deputy speaker of the Afghan parliament Fawzia Koofi. She was forced to flee into exile when the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Women and girls in Afghanistan have since seen their rights eliminated. How should the world respond to what the ... Show More
22m 58s