Internet Shutdown in Afghanistan Leaves Women and Students Desperate

Tue Sep 30 2025 14:28:57 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Taliban's recent decision to impose a nationwide internet shutdown has extinguished the hopes of many Afghan women striving for education and independence. This blackout has not only hindered their access to online learning but also deprived them of essential communication and connectivity.

With the Taliban's latest move to cut internet access indefinitely, Afghan women like Fahima Noori witness their last remaining hope for education vanish. The impact of this shutdown extends beyond personal aspirations; it disrupts essential services and worsens the already dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. Women and students express profound despair over this blow to their chances of education and empowerment.

Internet Shutdown in Afghanistan Leaves Women and Students Desperate

Fahima Noori had big dreams when she graduated from university in Afghanistan. She had studied law, graduated from a midwifery programme, and worked in a mental health clinic. However, since the Taliban seized power in 2021, her aspirations were shattered as they imposed severe restrictions on women's education and employment.

Fahima relied on the internet as her last connection to the outside world. I enrolled in an online university and hoped to finish my studies and find a job, she reflected, but the government's recent decision to enforce a nationwide internet shutdown has extinguished that hope. Our last hope was online learning. Now that dream has been destroyed, she lamented.

This total internet blackout, confirmed by watchdog group Netblocks, has not only severed connections for personal and educational use but has also paralyzed essential services across the country. Reports indicate that mobile internet and satellite TV services have also been severely disrupted, compounding the hardships for ordinary Afghans.

Obstacles to education are not limited to Fahima. Other women, like Shakiba from Takhar province, share similar stories. With midwifery programs banned, Shakiba said, the only hope left for us was online learning. She expresses a deep sense of despair as the internet cuts off their access to knowledge and the ability to aid their futures. When I heard that the internet had been cut, the world felt dark to me, she stated.

The repercussions extend beyond students; educators like Zabi, an English teacher, find themselves equally devastated. Zabi previously ran an online teaching center with over 80 students, but the internet shutdown has left them without the means to communicate or continue their studies. They keep calling me asking, 'Teacher, what should we do?' For the boys, there are still some English centers open, but for my female students, this was their last chance. And now even that is gone, he expressed, voicing the collective hopelessness shared by teachers and students alike.

The financial obstacles of moving to mobile data, which costs approximately $50 monthly, are significant for many, especially in a country where average annual incomes are around $306. Business owners are also feeling the crunch, with one money changer noting that his business has been "affected by about 90% since the shutdown.

This move by the Taliban to cut internet access under the guise of preventing immorality represents a devastating rollback of rights for women and further isolation for the Afghan population. Without communication and educational opportunities, many fear that their futures are not just bleak; they are effectively non-existent. The impact of this decision continues to grow, with the community holding its breath for any sign towards restoration of basic rights and freedoms.