In recent months, Afghanistan has welcomed a wave of foreign visitors, aid representatives, journalists, and even cultural travellers and influencers. These visits are often framed as signs of progress, as though international presence alone signals openness. On the surface, they can appear positive: showcasing Afghanistan’s breathtaking landscapes, rich culture, and deep history, while reminding the world that the country is more than the conflict and war dominating headlines.
But for Afghan women and girls living under the harsh reality of gender apartheid, the symbolism is far more complicated. Every foreign traveller risks sending a message of acceptance to the de facto authorities in power. While some see these visits as opportunities to highlight culture or provide a more nuanced perspective beyond the relentless stream of negative news, for the regime, any foreign attention is ultimately a victory.
We have seen female foreign visitors travel freely in Afghanistan without concern. What does this mean for Afghan girls and women who are forbidden from attending school, working, or even leaving their homes unaccompanied? Foreign men and women can walk through markets, take photos, and leave whenever they wish. Afghan women and girls, on the other hand, remain prisoners in their own country. The contrast is stark, and every curated image of hospitality risks masking oppression.
We must ask: do these visits challenge the regime, or do they normalise it? Do they amplify the voices of Afghan women and girls, or drown them out with carefully curated snapshots of welcome? Afghan women and girls are living under a system that denies them their most basic rights.
Afghanistan deserves to have its beauty and culture celebrated. But true solidarity requires more than using the situation for social media content or personal gain. Foreign visitors must use their presence not to sanitise the regime’s image, but to spotlight the injustice faced by Afghan women and girls. We must recognise that this regime cannot be humanised. Otherwise, such visits risk doing exactly what the authorities desire: erasing the crisis while tightening their grip.
Until Afghan women and girls are free – until their books are back on shelves, until their voices are restored online and in public, until they are sitting in classrooms – every trip, every handshake, and every content opportunity filmed for social media risks being nothing more than an endorsement of the very system destroying millions of lives. Afghan people, especially women and girls, need the world to stop normalising oppression and start demanding accountability.