Kabul: Most mornings after praying, 25-year-old Sanah joins several women from her neighbourhood in the Afghan capital Kabul for a walk along the main road before it fills with traffic, never jogging or getting too near to the many Taliban checkpoints. They exercise secretively, and not for competition, but for a modicum of health and peace of mind in a country where the Taliban government have stopped women from playing sports. "We cannot go near the Taliban checkpoint because they say, 'Why are you outside the house so early? Where are you going? Why do you need to exercise, you don't have to, so don't'," said Sanah, whose name has been changed -- along with all the women interviewed by AFP -- for fear of reprisal.
The Taliban authorities have implemented an austere interpretation of Islamic law, with women bearing the brunt of restrictions that the United Nations has labelled "gender apartheid". In November 2022, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice announced women were barred from parks and gyms on the grounds they were not adhering to a dress code that orders them to cover up. Gyms had previously offered time slots for women, and while some informal women-only fitness clubs still exist, they are rare and low-profile.
Sanah and one of her companions, Latifah, who is middle-aged, used to walk in the large, tree-lined parks in the city.The last time Latifah went to the park near her house, not long after they were permanently closed to women.