Women’s Rights on the Line in Afghanistan
The radical Islamic group, the Taliban, has long been known as a violent, oppressive military organization, evoking fear and chaos among Afghanistan’s people. The escape of the Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, has allowed the Taliban to regain power, despite the United States government’s billion-dollar attempt to build up the Afghan government. Looking back twenty years ago when the Taliban was in control, women’s rights were almost non-existent. As the insurgents have taken back power, the fragility of women’s rights, once again, is frighteningly evident.
To seem presentable internationally, the Taliban has stated that they have pledged to let girls and women study and work, but only if permitted by Islam. Since they have regained power, the organization has claimed that they will be much more tolerant to women compared to twenty years ago, but it is important to distinguish between their words and actions. From their control in 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned almost all education for girls and confined women to their houses, unless they were accompanied by a male relative. Failure to do so resulted in being stoned, abused, or even killed. In recent months, however, as the Taliban has enclosed their regime, warnings for women have emerged, signifying a sharp turn once again for the future of Afghanistan.
The surge of Taliban forces across the country presages a daunting time to come. Though the Taliban representatives have promised a more moderate approach regarding women, their words have proven to be empty promises. Already displaying that their actions speak far louder than their words, alarming reports of school closures, restrictions and curfews, and forced-out-of-work mandates have been brought to light. In the last twenty years, since 2001, women’s rights activists in Afghanistan and around the world have spoken up to ensure a future for little girls in the country. Through their endless and admirable toil, women in Afghanistan have been able to practice even just a small portion of freedom, but have been rightfully demanding more for what they truly deserve.
It is spine-chilling as a girl pursuing her education to observe the injustices occurring in Afghanistan, which unfortunately may last for years to come due to the dishonorable actions of the Taliban. As the Taliban’s power persists, standing in solidarity with the Afghan women’s struggle, pressuring the country’s political regime, and donating any amount to established advocacy organizations is the very least that we, as the international public, can do.
