From breaking barriers and challenging taboos, to facing widespread restrictions, Afghan Witness looks at the experience of Afghanistan’s female journalists since the Taliban’s takeover.

Pro-Taliban social media activists accused female NGO workers of espionage and spreading immorality.

Afghan Witness spoke to a university student, and a professor who resigned after the Taliban’s announcement.

The Taliban reacted by sending military vehicles to various larger cities to deter protests and, in some cases, used water cannons, gunfire into air and physical violence against protesters.

In November, ten activists were allegedly detained by the Taliban for their involvement in protests and women’s rights movements. Two have reportedly been released, though the whereabouts of the others remain uncertain. AW was able to speak with two other women’s rights activists, as well as friends and relatives of the detainees. The names of sources have been changed.

Local sources in Faryab told AW that women in the province had been banned from amusement parks, gyms, female public baths, and eating at local restaurants without a Mahram.

In late October, women showcased their academic documents in a Kabul park to protest the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s access to education and work. The women claim the Taliban intimidated them and tore their papers, and journalists were reportedly dispersed and temporarily detained. On November 3, it was reported that the Taliban detained one of the women protesters during a press conference.

In footage, a Taliban member can be seen striking the gathered students, who are recorded hitting and kicking the gates in protest.

Afghan Witness spoke to two women who planned to continue their studies in Qatar and Kyrgyzstan, but say the Taliban prevented them and other female students from boarding a Doha-bound flight. Both women's names have been changed to protect their identities.

Since the Taliban’s return last August, the group has demonstrated determination to regulate, shape, and control access to education in Afghanistan.

Afghan Witness assesses how the Taliban’s return has impacted women’s access to education and employment, their freedom of movement and dress, and their ability to access support services.

In Afghanistan, girls’ secondary schools have been closed for 300 days and counting, but the country’s teenage girls - assisted by an international army of volunteers led by Angela Ghayour - are finding other ways to learn.