October 15, 2021—Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, women in the country are showing bravery against a backdrop of severe restrictions against normal life.
“Women are not giving up, they are protesting for their rights which are in line with our religion and international human rights.”
– Samira Hamidi
Broken Promises
Early on, the Taliban declared amnesty for all citizens and promised to reform their old ways. The government reassured its citizens and international human rights groups it would give “equal rights to women as per the laws of Islam.” Furthermore, Taliban officials promised freedom of media and protection of former government employees.
But in the few months under the new leadership, the world has witnessed numerous reports from the United Nations and others of severe human rights violations. Women and children are feeling the greatest impact. The country as a whole is also experiencing the mal effects. Those include restrictions on journalism and assault on media and former government personnel.
Women And Children At Risk
Women and children remain the most at-risk people in the country. The Taliban, during their 1990s rule of Afghanistan, had denied women and girls the right to education, work, and travel. With the Taliban returning to power in August, Afghan women found themselves back in the 1990s, under the same oppressive rules.
Women are once again forced into the shadows. Almost half the population of the country has been barred in their own homes indefinitely.
Farida Nekzad, an Afghan journalist and director of the Center for the Protection of Afghan Women Journalists, in a panel discussion held by East-West Center on October 13, insisted that if the Taliban does not give women a chance, the country will lose a number of important voices. In effect, without women, Afghanistan dies.
‘Virtue And Vice’
The new acting government of Afghanistan, formed in early September, remains void of any female candidates. The country’s Women’s Affair Ministry was replaced with the Ministry of Virtue and Vice, a department that focused on enforcing strict religious doctrines during the Taliban’s former regime.
The idea of women serving in the government was dismissed by a Taliban spokesperson who insisted that “women should focus more on birthing and raising children.” (See reporting by The Independent.)
The leadership, which had earlier assured the public it would create a society with “women playing an active role,” likened the idea of women in government to “prostitution.”
Nothing ‘Un-Islamic’
Samira Hamidi, a regional campaigner at Amnesty International, spoke at the EWC panel discussion.
“Taliban has a view that women are only good for marriage and birth,” Hamidi said. “The Afghan women were dismissed for their views and concerns regarding the Taliban. They were asked to sit at home. These women did nothing un-Islamic or anything against the Afghan culture.”
Taliban’s stance on education and employment of girls and women continues to mirror its 1990s regime, with girls and women stripped of their basic rights to education and employment. Since August 2021, 90 percent of women have lost their jobs. For many, the loss of work meant a loss of financial support for the family.
Employment Restrictions Affect Healthcare
Restrictions on employment for women also resulted in fewer health care workers, the World Health Organization recently reported. That has made it difficult for women and the entire country. First, the health care system is “on the brink of collapse,” according to the United Nations. Also, women are hesitant to receive healthcare.
“This breakdown in health services is having a rippling effect on the availability of basic and essential health care, as well as on emergency response, polio eradication, and COVID-19 vaccination efforts,” the WHO said.
Anita Bhatia, assistant secretary-general and deputy executive director, UN Women, observed that with restrictions on education and employment of women, the Taliban takeover has witnessed only broken promises.
Journalism Goes Dark
Moreover, journalism in Afghanistan remains under constant threat, according to a report by Insider. Specifically, the Taliban introduced new rules restraining media houses from publishing news that are in direct conflict with Islam or insult national figures. The Taliban also instructed journalists to produce news reports in coordination with the government media office. In the months following the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government, at least 153 news houses shut down owing to threats and violence on journalists from the militant group, lack of financial funding, and barring women journalists indefinitely.
The International Federation of Journalists reported that more than 7,000 media workers were affected by the new government, with some fearing for their lives and the safety of their families. A large number of journalists have gone into hiding since mid-August. The future of women journalists remains dark with no guarantee of work or safety. According to Reporters without Borders, only 100 of 700 women in the media were still employed as of September 1.
International Pressure Needed
Farida Nekzad called on international organizations to work together for the safety of journalists, especially women journalists.
Protests Persist
The protests that erupted in the country, ended with violence after the Taliban militants attacked the peaceful protestors resulting in two deaths and more than eight injured. The Taliban later prohibited unauthorized assemblies and protests.
Without any presence in the government body, women only have protest as an option to speak up for themselves. In the past 20 years, they educated themselves, worked, and learned to take part in building society. Now, their future is in danger of being permanently silenced.
“Women are not giving up, they are protesting for their rights which are in line with our religion and international human rights,” said Samira Hamidi.
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