Women in Afghanistan have been fighting for more rights at home and in society since the Taliban was toppled a decade ago. Shabnam, 19, and her sister Sadaf Rahimi, 18, are taking the fight more literally than most of their peers, throwing punches in a ring as members of their country s first team of female boxers. They practice inside a spartan gym with broken mirrors, flaking paint, four punching bags, and a concrete floor padded with faded pink and green mats. Some girls even wear face masks to keep away the dust coming up from the floor. But they seem oblivious to their modest surroundings as they follow the whistle changes of a rigorous training routine. "I hope to promote my boxing career and approach the highest level. I wish to be able to win the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics," said Sadaf, slightly out of breath from punching the bag. Female boxing is still relatively unusual in most countries, but especially in Afghanistan, where many girls and women still face a struggle to secure an education or work, and activists say violence and abuse at home is common. Three times a week, the girls come to practise at the Ghazi stadium, once used for public punishment by the Taliban, the hardline Islamists who ruled the country from 1996 to 2001. Women were stoned for adultery there and despite an expensive revamp, its gory past sometimes spooks the athletes. Under the Taliban, all sports for women were banned. They still have far fewer opportunities for exercise than men. Many in this conservative society still consider fighting taboo for women, and the girls deal with serious threats. "My family has been threatened several times because we three sisters are in the boxing club, they asked my family why the three girls from one family are boxing. Boxing is a hard and difficult sport even for men that is why people are surprised and our family was threatened because of our choice," said Sadaf.
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