By Noa Aplon (Y12)
This article is published in recognition of International Women’s Day, celebrated yesterday (March 8th) a day dedicated to celebrating women’s rights and achievements around the world, while also raising awareness of the inequalities that many women still face today.
The Taliban, a military group currently ruling Afghanistan, as many know, are actively suppressing women. From their right to an education all the way to how they dress and whom they address, they are being controlled in ways that should never be condoned, setting back years of progress.
Women- human beings with passions, ambitions, and dignity- are having their basic human rights stripped away as we speak, strictly due to their gender. How can it be that in this day and age, we live in a world where women can work, go to school, pursue any career we desire, but only a 6-hour plane ride away, the reality is nothing but the opposite? How can two completely different realities exist in the same world?
Background
The Taliban is a military group that emerged in 1994. The majority are former mujahedin fighters who wanted to turn Afghanistan into an Islamic state and enforce their version of Islamic Sharia laws, which in their eyes would ban women from many human rights, including;
- working
- receiving a higher education
- showing skin in public
- accessing any sort of healthcare delivered by a man
- Having a voice in politics and public speaking
Basic rights that many of us take for granted each day.
After the terrorist attack in America on the 11th of September 2001, the USA took control of Afghanistan and, with the help of NATO, created a new Afghan government.
However, in 2021, the USA troops completely withdrew their troops, resulting in the Taliban taking control once more. They did so due to many reasons, including having spent over $2 trillion and lost 2,400+ American soldiers.
Domestic Violence
Since 2026, men in Afghanistan have been officially legally allowed to beat their wives as long as there is no severe visible proof, such as broken bones or visible bruises. Furthermore, if women are seriously beaten, testifying against their husbands is near impossible, and sentences are a minimum of only 15 days. In the United States, a 15-day sentence would typically apply to a petty or non-violent crime. If we put this into perspective, the crime of beating your wife is seen as a non-violent and petty crime: ‘not a big deal’.
Not only is this morally wrong, but it further diminishes women and their rights, making them defenseless.
As we speak, women are being more and more suppressed and maltreated. Many activists have voiced how it is over for women in Afghanistan, and as each day progresses, conditions worsen.
Work
While millions go to work each day and complain without fail, Afghanistan has one of the largest workforce gender gaps in the world. Approximately 16% of women in the country work, compared to 62% in Switzerland. Women who used to work in civil service, national and international NGOs, beauty salons, and other common workplaces have been completely banned. That small percentage of women who work are limited to extremely low-paying jobs.
While women can still work in healthcare sectors such as nursing, midwifery, medicine, and teaching, these jobs are only in place due to gender segregation laws. Opportunities that existed before, such as working as lawyers, police officers, journalists, or for the UN or any NGO, along with many other jobs, have been completely banned. Not only does this lead to a society strictly run by men, but it also further dehumanizes women, as their opinions and contributions to society are diluted to practically nothing.
Education
Since 2021 up until this point, the Taliban have put in place a ban on Secondary and Higher Education for girls. In December 2022, they furthered the ban, stopping girls from attending university. Leaving women across the country unable to pursue any form of higher education, no matter their will, motivation, or passions. To put this into perspective, by 2025, 2.2 million girls were banned from school, and if this continues, by 2030, it could reach 4 million. Not only is this a human rights violation, but it has resulted in a ‘lost generation’ as many are illiterate. A prohibition of education past the age of 6 has been ongoing since 2021. In contrast, before the Taliban controlled Afghanistan had a coeducational system with 230,000 girls in school and 7,000 women in higher education. The first girls’ school opened in 1921 many women attended school from then forward. A once progressive country has now gone so far back in history.
Global Responsibility
As students with access to an education and the ability to pursue any passion we desire, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the world around us and beyond our borders. The good and the bad. Change cannot be made without knowledge, and awareness has to be spread. It’s a moral obligation to recognize and discuss the repression that women face in Afghanistan, which, for many, is unimaginable. Supporting educational programs and donating to NGOs that are taking action are choices that we all have the ability to make. Finally, understanding our privilege is one of the most important aspects to remember, and to have gratitude for our geographical circumstances.