Originally written: September 11, 2022. 10:25pm EST By Annica Pereira
On August 15th, 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and its capital, Kabul. The arrival of the Taliban lead to a decrease in women’s rights throughout all of Afghanistan. Originally, women were promised an increase of rights with the help of the Sharia law. These laws included the right to work and study, as well as to live a moral life. However, the Taliban excluded women from this law system and violated all of their rights.
Some of these violations included the elimination of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs -which protected women’s political rights- and prohibited women from working outside of their homes. It also put an end to girls’ education past sixth grade. Women were not allowed to leave their homes unless necessary and could not travel without a male chaperone. Women and young girls were appalled at these infringements and were afraid that they would continue to get worse. Together they risked their lives and created civil society groups that anonymously wrote first-hand accounts of their violations and how they felt about them.
One member of a civil group, Nasima wrote, “I realized Afghan women were still fighting. And I chose to be one of them”. In her story, she spoke about how “something inside of her died” when she heard and witnessed the actions of the Taliban. She believes that it will continue to get worse and will turn into a “complex humanitarian emergency”.
Mahbouba Seraj, a 74-year-old woman, recently came back to Afghanistan to help out with the country’s issues. She is an activist, and women’s rights defender, as well as a historian. While in Afghanistan she witnessed the violations of women’s rights and realized that she would work to stop them from occurring again. “I chose to stay in Afghanistan to witness what was happening to my country and its people and to work for a better Afghanistan- one that belongs to all of us.” From the first day of the Taliban’s arrival, everything broke into chaos. Offices were shut down, people were running around, and women were forced to go back to their houses. Seraj had left Afghanistan when she was young and decided to come back and stay in Afghanistan so she could help out her fellow people. She knows it will take a lot of time to work for a better Afghanistan, but the outcome will be worth it.
Citations:
2022, 15 August, and —UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. “In Focus: Women in Afghanistan One Year after the Taliban Takeover.” UN Women – Headquarters, August 15, 2022. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/08/in-focus-women-in-afghanistan-one-year-after-the-taliban-takeover.
2022, 11 August. “In the Words of NASIMA*: ‘I Realized Afghan Women Were Still Fighting. and I Chose to Be One of Them’.” UN Women – Headquarters, August 11, 2022. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-the-words-of/2022/08/in-the-words-of-nasima-i-realized-afghan-women-were-still-fighting-and-i-chose-to-be-one-of-them.
2022, 12 August. “In the Words of Mahbouba Seraj: ‘We Are the Hope, We Are the Power Keeping Afghanistan Together’.” UN Women – Headquarters, August 12, 2022. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-the-words-of/2022/08/in-the-words-of-mahbouba-seraj-we-are-the-hope-we-are-the-power-keeping-afghanistan-together.
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