Given that Taliban restrictions restricting girls’ education beyond sixth grade have rendered many Afghan girls financially insecure, many have turned to traditional carpet weaving as one means of supporting themselves and their families. Where once they aspired to become doctors, teachers or engineers; now many spend their days crafting intricate rugs in dimly lit rooms for meager pay.
Since August 2021 when Taliban took back control of Afghanistan, they have instituted stringent restrictions on women’s rights – including an outright ban on secondary and higher education for girls – which has drawn widespread international condemnation; but inside Afghanistan reality remains grim.
Carpet weaving — an ancient, ancestral craft passed down from generation to generation — has become an indispensable source of livelihood in northern provinces, providing work opportunities to girls as young as 12. Workshops run by families or cooperatives employ girls as young as 12, often paying less than $1 a day; their jobs require careful precision; it takes weeks or even months to finish one rug!
16-year-old Laila* once desired becoming a teacher; now, weaving carpets alongside her mother and younger sister is their sole means of support – as long as it provides enough money to buy food for all three of them.
Human rights groups caution that child labor and low-pay manual work cannot replace education. “These girls are being robbed of their futures,” according to Fereshta Karim, an Afghan women’s rights advocate now living in exile. Carpet weaving isn’t a choice — it’s the result of oppression.
Even during these challenging times, some families have managed to use weaving income to fund underground education programs where girls continue studying secretly. Others remain hopeful that international pressure may eventually force the Taliban back on track.
Afghan carpets today carry with them an important message of resilience despite missed opportunities.
*Name changed for security.