Since the fall of Kabul to Taliban in August last year, Afghan women are bearing the brunt of the situation. Every day new stories of Afghan women's rights violations circulate on social media, making one wonder as to what the Taliban are up to. In one such latest example of extreme human rights violation, they have barred women from entering amusement parks in Afghan Capital Kabul on Wednesday. 

The Taliban's morality ministry stated in a statement that they have restricted women from visiting public parks, so there is no question of women being accessing the public parks. Earlier, they had segregated women's entry into public places by specifying some days for women to visit such places on particular days, but with latest statements things seems to be further aggravating for women. 

There seems to be no light at the end of tunnel for Afghan women, who are being subjected to discriminatory rules under the Taliban regime. It ought to be mentioned with concern that in the Taliban's first news conference after taking over Afghanistan on August 15, last year,  the group spokesman had promised to allow women to work and study," as it tried to allay fears of its rule between 1996-2001 that was marked by restrictions on women's rights.  But now they  have failed to keep up their promises and instead the group is following its 20 years old rules when it comes to women's rights. Future seems to be very bleak for Afghan women in the wake of Taliban take-over after the Fall of Kabul in mid-August last year.  

In over 14 months period since the Fall of Kabul, the Taliban have ordered female government employees to stay at home, then they announced a male-only cabinet, they also closed the Ministry of Women's Affairs. The allegations of  women's harassment and abuse are also reported in the media on regular basis. After taking power, they came out with announcement of a male-only interim government in Afghanistan by Taliban which deprived women of their rights in the war-strife country.

 Girls education is also in doldrums, enhancing fears about the future of female education under Taliban regime. Millions of teenage Afghan women and girls are still suffering under the regime.  When they came to power, the Taliban allowed teenage boys to attend classes in September, but said that "a safe learning environment" was required before older girls could return to school.  

The female teachers are also bearing the brunt of the situation. More than 100,000 female teachers were deprived of their jobs.  According to UNICEF estimates, around one-third of Afghan teachers were women, and a further 150,000 were employed in other sections of the education sector at the time of Taliban taking over of the country, but their future is uncertain under Taliban rule.  

Though Taliban had claimed to be respecting women's rights when they took over Kabul, but in reality that is not the case. Only recently, women were subjected to violence when they staged a peaceful protest in Kabul. They were protesting against non-inclusion of women in the interim government and took to roads, but they were subjected to use of whips and sticks by Taliban fighters. 

This is really disturbing in the wake of the Taliban's repeated promises of an inclusive government and what they claimed to be pursuing more moderate form of Islamic rule than when they were in power in Afghanistan twenty years ago. Every day, new stories of women's rights violations emerge. For instance Taliban announced to allow women to get education but as the universities are reopening for the first time since the Taliban came to power, females have been separated from their male counterparts by curtains down the middle of the classroom. They are also restricted to move freely within the premises of the campuses.

A new dress code for women who go to universities in Afghanistan is also announced by Taliban, which requires them to wear niqab as well beside wearing all-covering cloth namely burqa. Women, who protest against Taliban government, are dismissed from their jobs while women were also reportedly expelled from banks as they were mingling with their male counterparts. It may be mentioned here that when Taliban last ruled from 1996-2001, they had barred girls from school and women from university and work. This time, the women's education do not came under complete ban, but even then the extensive and damaging exclusions are nothing short of a ban.  Definitely women will also be barred from top positions and will only get lower grade jobs.

The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban has undoubtedly put women's lives in perils and  their rights are threatened in several ways with nothing clear about their future roles in politics, sports, social and economic fields of life . Women are not only required to wear an all-covering burqa including covering of their face to comply with Taliban rules but they are also asked to be accompanied by a male relative when they step out of the house. 

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 10 2022

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