In August 2021, the Taliban overthrew Afghanistan’s western-backed government and declared themself the new regime. They promised their country and the world that they would be better than their 1996-2001 rule, when they heavily limited human and women’s rights within Islamic law. A more in-depth look at their takeover in 2021 can be found here.
After the Taliban was defeated in 2001, women gained many rights and were able to become public leaders and officials. Now, women and girls are being forced back into the shadows and losing their jobs. The Taliban has temporarily banned most girls from going to school, but says they can go back once they make a new system to segregate the sexes at school. Abdul Baqi Haqqani, Afghanistan’s minister of higher education, told Nikkei Asia, “We have formed a committee of religious scholars to chalk out a framework so the students can get an education in accordance with Islamic Sharia law.”
Female politicians, news journalists, and more have lost their jobs without explanation. Female broadcasters that are lucky enough to still have their job must wear religious head coverings while on air. According to a report by Reporters without Borders (RSF) published in December 2021, 40% of media outlets have closed, over 6,400 journalists are out of work, and 80% of female journalists have lost their jobs. A report by the United Nations Development Programme says that women account for 40% of the workforce in Afghanistan and 80% of the spending budget, and restricting them from working could cost the country $1 billion. The UN report also says that the economic impact of educating girls is more than twice as much as educating boys.
Another restriction recently placed on women is that women cannot travel more than 72km (45 miles) without a male relative. The Taliban has also instructed drivers not to give rides to women not wearing head scarves. Heather Barr, the women’s rights associate director of Human Rights Watch, has slammed the new rule, telling AFP news that it moves women closer to being prisoners. She also said that it, “shuts off opportunities for them to be able to move about freely, to travel to another city, to do business, (or) to be able to flee if they are facing violence in the home.” In Herat on January 4, two women were forcefully pulled off of rickshaws and asked where their male relatives were, then beaten for traveling alone. According to a secret source in Afghanistan, the two women were close to home and had not broken the rule.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, said, “All of the women of Afghanistan who had the chance to have a part in parliament and media are being pushed back behind a curtain again. But women in Afghanistan are brave enough and are taking to the streets … They are calling [on] the rest of the world to hear their voices as well.” She added, “How people are suffering from not having basic freedom — but at the same time, like, the whole world is abandoning them. I’m in touch with a lot of women in Afghanistan. They’re really angry with the American government. They cannot believe that overnight all of their rights have been taken away, and now nobody is not talking about the women, all of those young girls being banned from going to school. Can you believe that?”
Recently, Faizuallah Jalal, a popular professor and critic of the Taliban, was arrested and is now being held by the Taliban’s intelligence arm for “nonsense remarks on social media, which were provoking people against the government and playing with people’s dignity.” Protestors took to the streets of Kabul to defend Jalal and demand his release. Sudaba Adina, Jalal’s niece, has pleaded for her uncle’s release, saying, “He had chances to go abroad, but he didn’t go because he wanted to stay here and serve his society. His sin is that he is living in Afghanistan, and he was a truthful man who had the courage to criticize the government, he didn’t have any other sin apart from his courage.” No official response has been made by the government.
Another problem the country is facing is the extreme lack of funds. When the Taliban took over, the United States froze around $9 billion of Afghanistan’s, and the International Monetary Fund has blocked about $450 million. The Taliban has requested humanitarian aid “without political bias.” Deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar said, “In various places right now, people do not have food, accommodation, warm clothes or money. The world has to support Afghan people without any political bias and carry out their humanitarian obligations.” The Iranian foreign minister has refused to officially recognize the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, but criticized the US for withholding funds from them, saying, “The assets of Afghanistan blocked by America…should be used for humanitarian purposes and improvement of the living conditions in Afghanistan.”
SOURCES
Iran says won’t officially recognise Taliban after Tehran talks
Iran calls for release of Afghan funds during Taliban envoy’s visit | Reuters
Afghanistan: The Taliban must immediately release Professor Faizullah Jalal – Amnesty International
Taliban orders beheading of store mannequins as Afghan women fume over Biden ‘betrayal’ | Fox News
Afghanistan’s Taliban ban long-distance road trips for solo women – BBC News
A Taliban ban on women in the workforce can cost economy $1bn
No long-distance travel for women without male relative: Taliban | Women’s Rights News | Al Jazeera
Taliban assaults on unaccompanied women signal worsening conditions | Washington Examiner
Taliban prepares to segregate sexes in Afghan universities – Nikkei Asia
Calls for release of Kabul University professor detained by Taliban
Taliban arrest popular Afghan professor critical of govt – ABC News