The Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan and Its Impact on Women

Since the withdrawal of American and NATO forces from Afghanistan, in July, the Taliban has taken control over large parts of the country. The intensified violence and minimal international pressure have created a daunting situation for the women of the country.

Image Source: NBC News

Women in Afghanistan have historically been victims of economic and political instability. In the period before the Soviet invasion of the country, women possessed considerable educational rights as well as the freedom to pursue their professional goals. Women were central towards the shaping of the society, they contributed to the drafting of the 1964 Constitution and three female legislators possessed seats in the Afghan parliament. The 1960’s and 70’s saw a rise in the expansion of women’s rights, various traditional cultural practices that were discriminatory towards women were abolished and women enjoyed considerably larger freedoms.

However, the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent rise of the Mujahideen led to the consequent rise of the Islamic state in the early 1990s. This led to the deteriorating conditions for women as they were coerced back into more traditional gender roles. The rise of Taliban further exacerbated the situation with worsening social and economic conditions. The imposition of the Sharia law made women subjects of discrimination, subordination, marginalization. Several of their basic rights such as education, healthcare and employment were curbed. These restrictions upon their rights were enacted through forced marriage of women and girls, denial of basic education, honour killings and other such devious ways.

When the Taliban fell, hopes were renewed for the improvement of Afghan socio-political and economic policies which would lead to a positive re-emergence of equal rights and women’s rights. The past 20 years in particular, have been revolutionary for the women of Afghanistan. A new constitution in 2003 protected women’s rights and, in 2009, Afghanistan adopted the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law. It ensured that 27 per cent of the 250 seats in Afghanistan’s parliament were reserved for women. Education was open to women and female participation saw a rise of 65 per cent, with millions of girls in school and thousands at university.

Impact of Taliban takeover on Women

Since the withdrawal of American and NATO forces from Afghanistan, in July, the Taliban has taken control over large parts of the country. The president has fled and the government has swiftly fallen. The intensified violence and minimal international pressure have created a daunting situation for the women of the country.

An anonymous university student has written in The Guardian describing the devastating circumstances in Kabul, where she and her fellow female students have been evacuated by the police and were left alone, unable to use public transport as the drivers were too scared to face the repercussions of transporting a woman. She further reports that she was completing her second-degree education, but owing to the situation, she remarks, “I will have to burn everything I achieved in 24 years of my life”.

The situation in Afghanistan is reminiscent of the horrors during the Taliban rule from 1996-2001, a bleak period for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Malala Yousafzai who had been a victim of the oppressive Taliban regime, called upon global leaders to defend the rights of women in the country. She tweeted, “We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates,”

Most women of Afghanistan have not previously lived under Taliban control, most women have not known what its like to be unable to study, work or leave the house unchaperoned by a male counterpart. Although, many had previously worn burqas out of choice, under Taliban rule, it is no more a question of choice but rather a mandatory requirement.

What the Taliban say about Women’s Rights

Various Taliban and Taliban interlocutors claimed that they do not wish to return to the brutal treatment of women that prevailed in the 1990s. They pledge to protect the rights of women under Sharia. However, the Sharia almost always mandates certain codes of dress and behaviour. Some versions of Sharia such as in Saudi Arabia can severely curb a woman’s rights and freedoms. On the other hand, the interpretation of Sharia in Pakistan or Somalia are able to protect women’s property rights better than most judicial systems, however, still subject them to many severe restrictions and even brutal physical punishments such as beatings and stoning to death for adultery and being raped.

Therefore, although Taliban vouches to “protect” the rights of women, they refuse to specify how women’s rights and life in Afghanistan would change. On the basis of historical evidences, most women rights activists and groups assume that, it is likely that they will try to weaken women’s rights by imposing stringent cultural restrictions and in turn shrink socio-economic opportunities for them.

Some Taliban interlocutors have also claimed that women would be allowed to hold ministerial positions, though they could never be the head of the state. Yet again, the lack of specificity make one feel like the regime is just giving out this message to keep the western world at bay. The Taliban leaders often prefer to leave crucial elements vague, thereby causing immense tension with regards to women’s future in the state of Afghanistan.