With the Taliban in virtual control of Kabul, activists have warned against the deteriorating state of women and minorities as the group comes into power.
Targeted Attacks Against Women
In January, 2021, two female Supreme Court judges of Afghanistan were killed in a targeted attack by the Taliban. Three women working for a TV station were similarly shot dead outside their workplace, in March.
The US’s strategic failure in not only military operations but also intelligence gathering is going to haunt the region for a long time. Scenes of Afghan citizens falling off the hangers of overcrowded planes have already gone viral on social media. With constant support from the establishment in Pakistan and biding its time, the Taliban has successfully outlasted America.
Taliban’s Human Rights’ Record
During 1996-2001, when the Taliban was in power, the record of human rights in the country, especially for women was abysmal. Women were not allowed to receive education or be employed in public services. They were largely barred from going out in the open unless accompanied by a male companion. The Ghazi Stadium in Kabul, a football venue, was converted into a theatre for public executions – even for offences such as petty thievery and adultery.
Similarly, unmarried girls in occupied cities are being forcibly married off to the insurgents. A mix of medieval mindset and religious fanaticism dictate the Taliban’s policy decisions. While the group has claimed to form an ‘Islamic Emirate’ that protects women’s rights, it is hardly expected that women will be allowed to operate and exercise their fundamental human rights anymore.
Clamping Down On Women’s Freedom
As the Taliban makes sweeping gains across the nation, women fear losing their hard-fought-for freedom. Reports suggest that female students at the university in Herat were asked to return home after the insurgents gained control of the city. 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are currently out of school, 60% of whom are girls – a number expected to spike further, as per UNICEF.
Medieval Mindset And Religious Fanaticism
Similarly, unmarried girls in occupied cities are being forcibly married off to the insurgents. A mix of medieval mindset and religious fanaticism dictate the Taliban’s policy decisions. While the group has claimed to form an ‘Islamic Emirate’ that protects women’s rights, it is hardly expected that women will be allowed to operate and exercise their fundamental human rights anymore.
Left On Their Own
“I can’t believe the world abandoned Afghanistan. Our friends are going to get killed. They are going to kill us. Our women are not going to have any more rights,” says a woman who arrived in Delhi on a flight from Kabul airport. With US President Joe Biden refusing to reconsider his decision and President Ashraf Ghani leaving the country, Afghan women have been left to fend for themselves.
In a deeply polarised nation, struck by war, any hope for a resurgence of better days for women seems slim now. Even as the formal transition of power is yet to take place, Ashraf Ghani has left the country with senior aides. Weathering failed peace talks, a capitulating US and a war-weary ANDSF, the Taliban are in power. And it seems extremely unlikely that democracy has any place for a group that is based on the ethos of extremism and fundamentalism.