RASC News Agency: In response to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Afghanistani Women’s History Movement has accused the Taliban of turning Afghanistan into a “wall-less prison” for women since their return to power. The movement denounced the Taliban as a misogynistic, oppressive, and terrorist organization, asserting that their current regime is more hostile toward women than during their previous tenure. The movement’s statement emphasized that violence against women has been a persistent and systemic issue throughout Afghanistan’s history. It highlighted that the country’s deeply rooted “traditional patriarchal culture and extremist ideologies” have effectively shut all legal and civic pathways for women.
The statement described the Taliban’s current rule as the most oppressive and alarming regime for women in Afghanistan’s history. “With the collapse of the Republic and the Taliban’s resurgence, Afghanistan has regressed to the 1990s,” the statement read. “At that time, the Taliban sought to establish a gender-segregated society under the pretense of Sharia and Islamic standards an approach devoid of historical precedent even in early Islamic periods.”
According to members of the movement, the Taliban have weaponized religion to consolidate their power, using it as a pretext to suppress Afghanistani citizens, particularly women. The statement also noted that the current Taliban regime has introduced not only the same oppressive policies of their previous rule but also a plethora of new decrees and restrictions, making their governance “even more brutal and deeply misogynistic.”
In earlier statements, Afghanistani women’s movements and citizens alike have referred to the Taliban as adversaries of freedom of expression, human rights, and women’s rights in Afghanistan. It is important to note that on October 17, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day serves as a global reminder of the collective commitment to eradicating violence against women worldwide.
