3/5/23

By Aditi Jha

Thousands of Afghan women are in danger and facing potential violence and imprisonment after the Taliban invalidated all divorces without their husband's consent. This interpretation of Islamic law makes it impossible for many Afghan women to escape abusive husbands. The Taliban have also implemented ultraconservative dress rules for women, banned them from public parks and gyms, excluded them from many areas of the workforce and restricted their education and employment. A woman from western Afghanistan, interviewed by the Washington Post, said that "I was living a new life- I was happy. I thought I was safe from my [first] husband; I didn't think I would be hiding again." Even before the Taliban took over, divorces were widely considered unacceptable in Afghanistan. Now, they're impossible. Local aid groups that had been providing shelter and counseling have been shut down under the Taliban. Women in Afghanistan have been banned from holding many jobs in the judicial system, including the job of a judge, which makes it harder for women to seek legal help. When it returned to power in August of 2021, the Taliban promised to honor women's rights. However, it soon went back on its promises. Not only did it restrict education, attire and employment, it also greatly restricted travel, forbidding women from traveling abroad or within Pakistan without a male escort. Women are barred from secondary and higher education and the curricula is now centered around religious studies. The Taliban even decides what kind of cell phones Afghan women should have. The Associated Press described their promise to protect women's rights as a "publicity blitz aimed at reassuring world powers and a fearful population." Much of Afghanistan's population already faces lack of access to food, water, shelter and healthcare, the Human Rights Watch reports. This is mostly because Afghanistan is facing an economic crisis. 75 percent of the previous government's budget came from foreign donors, who stopped giving aid to government agencies and institutions around the time of the Taliban's takeover. The HRW argues that it's also because of a lack of workers. A woman they interviewed who previously worked in the government said that "The future looks dark. I had many dreams, wanted to continue studying and working. I was thinking of doing my master's. At the moment, [the Taliban] don't even allow girls to finish high school." Only female healthcare workers and teachers are allowed to continue working; women working in other fields are forced to stay home. The prices of food are steadily rising as well, creating food insecurity and a lack of access to electricity. 

That's the news for today! Stay safe!