RASC News Agency: Sources in Badghis province in western Afghanistan confirm that the Taliban have banned women in the province from visiting public bathhouses. Sources in Badghis told RASC on Monday, May 6, that the Taliban have prohibited women from using public bathhouses in the province. Several women have reportedly been harassed and insulted by the group’s forces.
The sources added that women who disobeyed the Taliban’s orders regarding bathing have been subjected to severe beatings. According to the sources, women in Badghis province are under tight control by the Taliban and are unable to leave their homes. Several women from Badghis, who requested anonymity, told RASC that the Taliban allow women to leave their homes only once or twice a day.
They stated that the Taliban security forces closely monitor all households and women, seeking any suspicious activity in the area. According to one woman, the Taliban recently identified and severely beat a woman who had gone to the market to buy household items, causing widespread outrage.
Musawir Barati, an expert in the western region of Afghanistan, told RASC that the Taliban view women as slaves and treat them as such. Barati added that the Taliban are using all their power and influence to suppress and isolate women in Badghis province.
He continued, stating that Afghanistani women and girls are being held captive by the Taliban society and are unable to express themselves. Barati emphasized that if international organizations and institutions do not monitor and address the situation, the rates of psychological illnesses will increase. Meanwhile, Nilufar Parsa, a civil society activist in western Afghanistan, told RASC that the Taliban’s behavior toward women is neither humane nor in line with Islamic principles.
Parsa said the Taliban must recognize that Afghanistani women and girls are their sisters and mothers, and a person of faith would never treat their family members disrespectfully or contrary to the values of Islam. She added that if the Taliban leaders consider themselves true Afghanistanis and claim that Afghanistan is a common home for all ethnicities and people, then why are they preventing half of society—women—from attending school, university, and work?
These issues in Badghis province arise as some Taliban officials in Afghanistan have stated in press conferences that women’s rights are better protected under the Taliban compared to the previous republic. Such statements have only fueled Afghanistani women’s anger toward the Taliban.
