Historical Background

The history of women’s rights in Afghanistan is tumultuous and has affected the entire international community. One reason for disarray in the country is the frequent changing of leadership; in the last three decades, Afghanistan has been occupied both by Soviet troops and US-led international forces, and in the years in between has been ruled by militant groups such as the Taliban. The Taliban is mostly composed of young men and boys of Afghan descent. Many have been raised in refugee camps and trained in ultraconservative religious schools in Pakistan. There are countless instances of rights and freedoms—such as the ability to go to school and get a job—being given to Afghan women by international forces, including the US and the former Soviet Union, only to be taken away by the Taliban. One of the few constants throughout this history is frequent human rights abuses and discrimination faced by Afghan women. They have been brutalized under law and in nearly every aspect of their daily lives, facing restrictions on movement, clothing, and zero protection from threats or violence. In the last several decades, there have been various interventions by global powers such as the United States to promote peace and equality in the region. Unfortunately, none of the relief given to women in Afghanistan by external nations has been permanent. Political and economic insecurity, educational inequality, sexual violence, and poor health have been increasingly pervasive among Afghan women and children. Said groups have also long faced domestic violence, child and forced marriage, and abduction with no accountability for perpetrators. Resilience in the face of oppression, though increased since the 2021 Taliban resurgence, is not new to Afghan women.

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Recent Developments

Kabul, Afghanistan fell to Taliban control in mid-August, 2021. Then ensued a swift undoing of the years of progress Afghan women had made fighting for their rightful place as leaders in their country. Before the Taliban’s resurgence, Afghanistan had more women in their governing body than the United States. Today, these same women are not allowed to leave their house without a male chaperone. Since 2021, the erasure of Afghan women has slowly and steadily increased. As months passed, women were prohibited from a growing number of educational institutions and places of employment. Afghan women have also faced increasing restrictions regarding how they are permitted to dress and present themselves in public. On August 29, 2022, about a year after their initial takeover, the Taliban ordered female university students to cover their faces in classrooms. Nearly a year after this order, on August 26, 2023, the Taliban announced that women are henceforth not allowed to enter national parks and other common outdoor spaces–no matter how conservatively they cover themselves. Chekeba Hachemi, president of the organization Free Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban’s laws are effectively telling women: “We want to kill you slowly”. Most recently, on August 21, 2024, a ban was instituted on women making their voices heard aloud in public. Notably, following the resurgence of Taliban power and compounding of oppressive regulations, there has been a sharp decline in the measured level of Afghan women’s happiness: from 29% in 2022 to 11% in 2023. For women in Afghanistan, freedom has faded while suffering remains.

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Implications

Women in Afghanistan are currently facing a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the actions of the Taliban. Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world: according to UN estimates, every two hours an Afghan woman dies during pregnancy or while giving birth. Consequently, the ban on the sale of contraception, introduced by the Taliban in 2023, has had fatal consequences for women. Additionally, it was found that 92 percent of women in Afghanistan feel that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife for at least one of these reasons: going out without telling the husband, neglecting the children, arguing with the husband, refusing sex, and burning the food. This is due, at least in part, to a “Stockholm syndrome-like” acclimation to the Afghan women’s reality of being silenced, controlled and punished. Furthermore, millions of women and girls are now without access to basic services due to Afghanistan’s increasingly gender-segregated society; when female workers are prohibited from delivering aid, women will simply be without aid. Courageous Afghan women and male allies remain forced to put their lives on the line—facing surveillance, harassment, arbitrary detention, torture and exile—to oppose Taliban abuse.

Meanwhile, the ineffective international response to this crisis suggests to many that world leaders don't prioritize women's rights. Currently, the US remains tied up in other conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Said conflicts currently use a large amount of funds that the US has budgeted for international aid, which will no longer be given to Afghanistan. Besides the US, few countries have intervened meaningfully to aid Afghan women. Canada has given assistance to Afghanistan since the 1960s and provided $70 million to support basic services for vulnerable Afghan people in 2022. Any other support to Afghanistan is generated from the International Rescue Committee, which provides humanitarian relief and recovery assistance, or aid workers employed by local and international non-governmental organizations. Many members of the international community have withdrawn financial support to Afghan government institutions due to the Taliban's control. In reality, Afghan women are in need of increased support due to Taliban control. The international community can provide life-saving assistance by donating to organizations that help women in Afghanistan, such as the Malala Fund created by Malala Yousafzai to improve access to education for girls and advocate for their right to learn. Other helpful strategies include advocating for refugees, removing barriers to visas and flights for Afghan people, and petitioning government officials to stop forced returns of Afghan asylum seekers to Afghanistan.

Despite challenges, Afghan women and girls had made steady advances towards fulfilling their human rights before the Taliban resurgence. However, the situation has now regressed to the pre-2002 period: women are denied their fundamental rights and freedoms including the rights to physical and mental health, freedom of movement, and freedom from fear and discrimination. Therefore, the international community must affirm their commitment to women’s rights by taking concrete actions to support Afghan girls. The effects of worsening treatment of women in Afghanistan extend beyond just these women. As they are silenced, the entire world is deprived of their intellect, creativity, and capability.