Nowhere in the world are the basic human rights of women and girls more limited or controlled than in Afghanistan. There is no government anywhere that has expressed support for the Taliban’s policies there. In 2023, Afghanistan remains the sole country where teenage girls and women lack access to education, employment, and freedom.
Teenage girls are prohibited from pursuing education beyond the sixth grade, while women are barred from working, studying, or traveling without a male companion. They are even restricted from going to parks or bathhouses. Women are required to cover themselves from head to toe, and they are forbidden from working in national and international non-governmental organizations.
The Taliban enforces stringent bans on education and NGO work, showing no signs of relenting. These bans are temporary consequences of women not adhering to the Islamic headscarf or hijab. A watchdog group conducted a nine-month-long investigation in Afghanistan, with researchers interviewing over 100 women and girls aged 14 to 74. These women and girls recounted instances of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, stating that they were beaten to prevent them from showcasing their lives to the world.
Another report indicates an alarming increase in rates of child, early, and forced marriages since the Taliban takeover. Each day, Afghanistan’s economic, educational, and humanitarian conditions worsen. Roza Otunbayeva, the secretary-general and head of the U.N, interviewed two students from Afghanistan. They revealed that women now spend their days weaving carpets in a Kabul factory, unable to pursue previous roles as government employees or students.
Hafiza, a 22-year-old former first-year law student, expresses her frustration, stating, “We all are prisoners, we feel that we are caught in a cage.” Shahaida, 18, shares that her education was cut short in tenth grade, and she appeals to the Taliban government to reopen schools and educational institutions.
Without equal rights for all, a free and equal society cannot flourish. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are vital for societal development, economic stability, peace, and security.
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