Afghan women take part in a protest march for their rights under Taliban rule in Kabul on Sept. 3 (Hoshang Hashimi/AFP via Getty Images)
Afghan women have been fighting for their rights for many years with a lot of progress being made in the country’s cities. However, all this hard work and dedication is now threatened by the Taliban’s renewed control in the country.
In the month of August, United States troops left Afghanistan, ending their 20-year-long combat mission. This decision was made because a lot of money was being invested in the war and many human lives were being lost. Even so, many considered the war’s main goal, which was to prevent another terrorist attack from occurring in the United States, to be accomplished. President Joe Biden mentioned this reasoning in his speech on August 16, 2021.
This withdrawal of troops led to the collapse of the Afghan government, as well as the return to the power of the Taliban.
One of the biggest worries people have regarding the change of power is the quality of life women will have. Over the past 20 years, women have had more access to education and job opportunities; which in return, gave them the chance to develop independent lifestyles outside of staying in their homes as wives and mothers. Afghan women have had the ability to pursue careers in journalism, medicine, and law: jobs that before were exclusively reserved for men. According to People magazine, by 2018, 30 percent of women had become literate since 2001, and many became professionals like civil rights judges and members of parliament. Now these developments that Afghan women have been enjoying since the US invasion in 2001, have drastically changed.
Although the Taliban claimed that not much would change now that it is in charge, this has not been proven through their actions. Even though the Taliban claims that women will still be able to attend school, they will be separated by gender, and an Islamist dress code will be enforced. The Guardian observed that women’s transportation to school is in buses that have covered windows and a curtain that separates women from the presumed male driver. Women are later put in a “waiting room” before and between classes in order to prevent any type of relationship between male and female students. In private universities, women are obliged to wear burqas and cover most of their faces, which is not traditional Afghan clothing. A source also told The Guardian that women were not allowed to teach male students, but men will be able to teach women in the case that no female lecturers were available.
Women who had been working in offices are now being prevented from entering by Taliban fighters. According to The Guardian, the Taliban is saying that this is a temporary measure for “security reasons,” but few believe that explanation; since it is similar to one they used the last time they held power, which led to the oppression of women. Heather Barr, the associate director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch, said, “We heard some of these explanations in 1996 to 2001, when the Taliban said that the reason girls couldn’t study and women couldn’t work was because the security situation wasn’t good, and once the security situation was better they could go back. Of course that moment never arrived.”
Another woman, a TV reporter whose identity is kept anonymous for her safety as many others who will be mentioned, said, "Right now, I stay at home and I am totally sad and depressed because I cannot continue my job as a journalist. In these days I am always thinking about how I can save my life."
Not only has the Taliban prevented women from working, they have also reinforced, unofficially, that Afghan women require a male guardian (mahram) to accompany them in any public space. This has been witnessed when women have been ordered to go home for being alone outside their homes. This is a problem for many women who are widowed due to the war and have no other male relative to fulfill this role.
A woman who serves as organization director, campaigned against violence towards women, said, “Women are actually left vulnerable. Women are actually left helpless.” She also explained her opinion about these injustices: “Now, nothing. We are nothing. And we have nothing now." She speaks about what she misses the most about her previous lifestyle: “Having salary, having a normal life, shopping, going out of and going in other cities, travelling, having plans, having goals are the amazing things of life. We'll miss it in Afghanistan now."
The only way these women see an end to gender inequality is by gathering support from other places. A woman who held a senior government position said, “And in order to receive back all those achievements that we achieved until August 15, we need support. We need the whole world to hear our voices and to work with us together to convince the Taliban to let us go back to work."
Women in Afghanistan are trying to avoid a visit to the past with the new decrees given by the Taliban. They are going out on the streets to fight for their rights, despite being beaten by Taliban officers. With the little power they have, they are trying to let everyone in the world know what is happening to them, in order to gain reinforcement. By spreading the word of the injustices they face, they believe change may come sooner rather than later and hope they will finally have an opportunity at a dignified life.