A video circulating widely on social media shows a 13-year-old Afghan girl being detained and forced to confess on camera by a Taliban member after she was discovered working while disguised in boys’ clothing. The footage has intensified concern among women’s rights advocates about the conditions facing girls and women living under Taliban restrictions.
In the video, the girl identifies herself as Noria, stating that she had been working under the male name Noor Ahmad while wearing boys’ clothes. She says she adopted the disguise in order to earn money to support her sisters after the death of her father. She does not specify when or how her father died.
According to the girl’s statements in the recording, she is 13 years old and had been working for about three years in a cafe shop, earning between 7,000 and 10,000 Afghanis per month. She says she was the family’s provider and had no other option but to work despite the restrictions placed on girls and women.
Recorded Interrogation and Coerced Confession
The video shows a Taliban member questioning Noria about her identity, place of residence, family status, workplace, and wages. The interrogator asks directly whether she is a boy or a girl. She answers that she is a girl and explains that she wore boys’ clothes because she was forced by circumstances to work and provide for her family.
She describes her employment history, saying she first earned 7,000 Afghanis and later up to 10,000 Afghanis after several months to a year on the job. The questioning appears structured and pressured, raising serious concerns that the statement was made under coercion.
The identity of the Taliban member asking questions in the video is not known. The footage is reported to have been recorded in Ghor province, although the exact date of recording has not been confirmed.
Work Bans Driving Hidden Labor
Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, women and girls have been progressively excluded from most areas of public life. Women have been removed from the government jobs. Taliban authorities have also restricted women’s employment in private businesses and international organizations.
In addition, beauty salons — one of the last major sources of women-led income — were shut down nationwide, eliminating livelihoods for thousands. These policies have placed severe financial strain on families, particularly those without adult male earners.
Human rights observers warn that such restrictions are pushing girls and women into informal and hidden labor markets, where they face higher risks of exploitation, detention, and abuse.
Disguise as a Survival Strategy
Dressing as boys has re-emerged as a survival strategy for some Afghan girls seeking to move freely, work, or access basic services. Similar tactics were documented during the Taliban’s first period of rule, when girls cut their hair and adopted male identities to attend school or run family errands.
Advocates say Noria’s case illustrates how Taliban gender policies are colliding with economic reality. With no social protection systems and shrinking humanitarian support, vulnerable families — especially those who have lost a father or male guardian — are left with few options.
The viral video has prompted renewed calls from activists for international monitoring of the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, and for accountability over the public filming and broadcasting of coerced confessions involving minors.
