How has the Taliban's rule impacted women's rights in Afghanistan
Introduction
The Taliban’s rule has had a devastating impact on women’s rights in Afghanistan since their takeover in August 2021. The regime has systematically dismantled decades of progress, imposing severe restrictions that have effectively erased women from public life:
Education and Employment
Girls are banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade.
Women are prohibited from working in most sectors, with limited exceptions in healthcare and primary education.
Universities have suspended women’s enrollment.
The closure of beauty salons has cost approximately 60,000 women their jobs.
Public Life and Movement
Women are required to cover themselves completely, often interpreted as wearing a burqa, when in public.
Women must be accompanied by a male chaperone (mahram) when traveling more than 78 kilometers.
Women are banned from public spaces including parks, gyms, and sports clubs.
A new morality law forbids women’s voices in public and prohibits them from interacting with non-Muslims or using public transport alone.
Legal and Political Rights
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been abolished.
Women have been removed from all government positions.
Laws protecting women from violence, including the Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women, have been invalidated.
Health and Safety
The dismantling of support systems has left women vulnerable to increased gender-based violence.
Restrictions on movement and education have negatively impacted women’s physical and mental health.
Economic Impact
The ban on women’s employment is estimated to cost Afghanistan $1 billion annually, or 5% of GDP.
Conclusion
These restrictions have led to Afghanistan ranking 177th out of 177 countries in terms of women’s inclusion on Georgetown University’s Women Peace and Security Index. The situation has been described as possibly amounting to the crime against humanity of gender persecution.
Despite international condemnation and some internal dissent, the Taliban have remained unwavering in implementing these oppressive policies.
