RASC News Agency: With the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, the status of women in the country has been tragically regressed to a catastrophic extent. The Taliban’s oppressive policies, rooted in medieval ideologies, have relegated Afghanistani women to the margins of society, depriving them of even their most basic human rights. Before Afghanistan fell under the Taliban’s control, women serving in the security forces, despite facing severe threats, stood firm against extremism. One prominent example of this resistance was Islam Bibi, a military officer in Helmand province, who was assassinated by the Taliban in 2013 due to her work fighting terrorism and advocating for women’s rights. As one of the highest-ranking female officers in the Afghanistani military, she had been repeatedly threatened with death, ultimately losing her life in this battle. By expelling women from the security forces, the Taliban have effectively stripped the society of defenders who once fought against violence and extremism.
Under Taliban rule, Afghanistani women and girls have been not only denied access to education and employment but also subjected to the forced disguise of their identities. In some families, in a desperate attempt to escape the group’s draconian restrictions, daughters are compelled to wear male clothing. This phenomenon, known as “Bacha Posh,” is emblematic of the oppressive social structure the Taliban have fortified. In a society where women are governed by the Taliban’s discriminatory laws, for some, the only route to even minimal freedom is to live in the guise of a boy. Since their return to power, the Taliban have systematically repressed, detained, and silenced female activists. One such activist, Naira Kohistani, took to the streets after Kabul fell to protest the Taliban’s misogynistic policies. Like many other women fighting for their rights, she was violently arrested and subjected to coercion. Ultimately, in 2022, the Taliban forced her into exile. Through fear-mongering and the creation of an atmosphere of terror, the Taliban aim to suppress any dissent. However, the resistance of Afghanistani women continues undeterred.
The Taliban have not only violated the rights of women but have systematically erased them from all social, economic, and political spheres. The ban on girls’ education, the closure of women’s workplaces, and the widespread arrest of female activists are merely a fraction of the group’s efforts to oppress half of Afghanistan’s population. In the face of such grave injustice, the international community must not remain passive. International organizations, particularly the United Nations and human rights advocates, must take decisive actions against the Taliban to liberate Afghanistani women from this ongoing crisis. Despite relentless repression, Afghanistani women continue to fight, and their voices of resistance have not been silenced. The Taliban will never break their indomitable spirit. The international community bears the responsibility to support these courageous women and prevent the Taliban from casting an even darker future upon Afghanistan’s future generations.
