Kabul airport women brave fears to return to work

Alison Davidian, a representative for UN Women in Afghanistan, warned the Taliban were already neglecting their promise to respect Afghan women's rights

Less than a month after the Taliban rolled into the Afghan capital, Rabia Jamal made a tough decision -- she would brave the hardliners and return to work at the airport.

With the Islamists saying women should stay at home for their own security the risks were all too clear, but the 35-year-old mother of three felt she had little choice.

"I felt tension at home... I felt very bad," she told AFP. "Now I feel better."

But they are among very few women in the capital allowed to return to work. The Taliban have told most not to go back until further notice.

Rabia's sister, 49-year-old Qudsiya Jamal, told AFP the Taliban takeover had "shocked" her.

"My family was scared for me -- they told me not to go back -- but I am happy now, relaxed... no problems so far."

Women's rights in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule, but since returning to power the group claims they will be less extreme.

Still, Alison Davidian, a representative for UN Women in Afghanistan, warned on Wednesday that the Taliban were already neglecting their promise to respect Afghan women's rights.

Under new rules, women may work "in accordance with the principles of Islam", the Taliban have decreed, but few details have yet been given as to what exactly that might mean.

"I will do what I love until I am not lucky anymore."

The 30-year-old was learning French in Kabul before she was forced to stop and stay at home for three weeks after the takeover.

"But not now. Today I am one of the last women of the airport."

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