Even before the fall of Kabul on Sunday, this was the case deteriorate rapidly, which was exacerbated by the planned withdrawal and retreat of all foreign military personnel international aid.
In the past few weeks alone, there has been Many reports of victims and violence. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes. United Nations refugee agency Says About 80% of those who have fled since the end of May are women and children.
What does the Taliban’s return to women and girls mean?
Taliban history
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996, and imposed Harsh conditions and rules that follow their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
under their rule, was on women Cover themselves and leave the house accompanied by only a male relative. The Taliban also prevented girls from going to school, and women from working outside the home. They were also prevented from voting.
Women were subjected to harsh punishments for disobeying these rules, including beatings, floggings, and stoning to death if they were found guilty of adultery. Afghanistan has the highest maternal mortality rate In the world.
past twenty years
With the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, the situation for women and girls improved dramatically, although these gains were partial and fragile.
Women now hold positions as ambassadors, ministers, governors, police and security forces. In 2003, the new government ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which requires states to include gender equality in their domestic laws.
The 2004 Afghan Constitution states that “Afghan citizens, both men and women, are equal in rights and duties before the law.” Meanwhile, a 2009 قانون Law It was introduced to protect women from forced and underage marriage and violence.
According to Human Rights Watch, Law A rise in reporting, investigating, and, to a lesser extent, convicting, crimes of violence against women and girls.
While the country has gone from almost no girls in school to tens of thousands in UniversityProgress has been slow and unstable. UNICEF Reports Of the 3.7 million Afghan children out of school, 60% are girls.
Back to the dark days
Officially the leaders of the Taliban He said They want to give women their rights “according to Islam”. But this has been met with great skepticism, including by women leaders in Afghanistan. In fact, the Taliban have given every indication that they will reimpose their oppressive regime.
In July, the United Nations mentioned The number of dead and injured women and girls doubled in the first six months of the year compared to the same period the previous year.
In the regions again under the control of the TalibanGirls were prevented from going to school and their freedom of movement restricted. There was also Reports from forced marriage.
Women re-wear the burqa and talk about it destroy evidence From their education and their lives outside the home to protect themselves from the Taliban.
As an unknown Afghan woman Writes In the Guardian:
I did not expect that we would be deprived of all our basic rights again and go back to 20 years ago. After 20 years of fighting for our rights and freedom, we must look for the burqa and hide our identity.
Many Afghans are angry at the return of the Taliban and what they see as their abandonment by the international community. it was there Street protests. even women I ate the guns In a rare display of defiance.
But this alone will not be enough to protect women and girls.
The world is looking in the opposite direction
Currently, the United States and its allies are engaged in Hectic rescue operations to get their citizens and employees out of Afghanistan. But what about Afghan citizens and their future?
US President Joe Biden remains largely unaffected by the Taliban’s advance and the deepening humanitarian crisis. On August 14 statment, He said:
The endless American presence in the midst of civil strife in another country was not acceptable to me.
However, the United States and its allies – including Australia – went to Afghanistan 20 years ago hypothesis To remove the Taliban and protect women’s rights. However, most Afghans do not Believe They have experienced peace in their lives.
With the Taliban reasserting full control of the country, the achievements of the past 20 years, especially those made to protect women’s rights and equality, are at risk if the international community once again abandons Afghanistan.
women and girls begging for help With the advance of the Taliban. We hope the world will listen.
Azadeh Raz Muhammed, PhD student, University of Melbourne And Gina Sabiano, research assistant and lecturer at the Australian Research Council, Monash Center on Gender, Peace and Security, Monash University
This article has been republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons License. Read the original article.
© Inter Press Service (2021) – All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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