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Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan: An Attack on Women’s Rights

By Lisa Hood

Edited by Ella Byrne-Cabot

Things were looking up for women in Afghanistan after the Taliban regime was decimated in 2001. For twenty years, with US soldiers preventing the Taliban from resurfacing, female representation in workplaces and schools increased drastically, and women saw many new valuable freedoms. No longer were women required to wear a Burqa or be accompanied by a man at all times outside their homes. They gained legal and reproductive rights, and protection against abuse. However, these rights are all in jeopardy as the Taliban regains power.

The Taliban first made themselves known in the early 1990’s, in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion. It was formed of Afghan resistance fighters, who hoped to return the country to its traditional religious values. Promising to bring stability and peace, they gained support from the country and quickly rose to power. The Taliban imposed harsh laws, and became home to the terrorist organization al Qaeda. After the al Qaeda attack on New York during 9/11, the US took definitive action to take down the terrorists and the Taliban, leading to their retreat by the end of 2001. The US has been occupying the country ever since, in order to prevent their return.

Under the new Biden Administration, the United States was set to pull the last of its troops out of Afghanistan, ending a 20 year long war in the country. Just two weeks before the US succeeded in this goal, the Taliban took over Kabul, solidifying their control of the country. The Taliban claim to want a “participatory government with various components of the Afghan people,” and they said they would keep some rights for women. Now, just over one month later, the Taliban is already enforcing similar, or the same, strict laws on the country that were present during their rule in the late ‘90s.

For women, these laws could be catastrophic. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been replaced by a ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.” Although the government has said women will continue to have access to higher education, women and girls in grades 6 to 12 have yet to be asked back to schools. Additionally, they plan to segregate classrooms by gender. Much like the original Taliban laws that required women to wear burqas, women will be required to wear hijabs in schools. Taliban commander Assad Massoud Khostani said that women would also be required to cover their faces.

Besides the threat to women, US officials are worried that there may be a threat of the Taliban-controlled country becoming a safe haven for the terrorist group al Qaeda, despite promises from the government that it will not.

Afghan activists are pressuring authorities to allow women and girls to go to school, and to allow women to wear what they want. Spreading through social media is the #DoNotTouchMyClothes campaign, which protests the new dress codes. Afghan women are sharing pictures of themselves in traditional, colorful Afghan clothing, to show that their traditional clothing is not just the black robes they worry Taliban expects them to wear.

Thousands in Afghanistan are now attempting to flee the country, and we can help them right here in the US. The Lutheran Social Services is providing refugees with food, transportation, and shelter, and more. We can help them by donating money, school or household supplies, laptops, gift cards, and more. Those who live in areas where refugees are arriving can also volunteer to help. Visit the Lutheran Social Services Website for more information on how to help.

For those Afghans who remain in Afghanistan, the organization Islamic Relief USA helps by providing food, water, COVID-19 care, and more. You can support the relief effort by donating on their website. There are also countless other organizations to support, such as the International Rescue Committee and Women for Women International.

Works Cited

Gannon, Kathy. “Taliban Replace Ministry for Women with 'Virtue' Authorities.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 18 Sept. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-afghanistan-womens-rights-kabul-taliban-eee5a8c73dd5d58acfda008582ef77bb.

“How to Help Afghan Refugees: 3 Organizations Providing Housing, Transportation and Other Necessities.” CSB News, CBS Interactive, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-to-help-afghan-refugees-organizations-housing-transportation-necessities/.

Kimathi, Sharon. “6 Ways Life Has Improved for Women in Afghanistan Since the Last Taliban Regime.” Global Citizen, https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/afghanistan-women-ways-life-changed-taliban/.

Krauss, Joseph. “Taliban Take over Afghanistan: What We Know and What's Next.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 17 Aug. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/taliban-takeover-afghanistan-what-to-know-1a74c9cd866866f196c478aba21b60b6.

Maizland, Lindsay. “What Is the Taliban?” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan.

“Timeline: U.S. War in Afghanistan.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan.

“Women Will Be Expected to Wear the Hijab but Not the Burqa, Says Taliban Spokesman.” The Indian Express, 19 Aug. 2021, https://indianexpress.com/article/world/women-will-be-expected-to-wear-the-hijab-but-not-the-burka-says-taliban-spokesman-7459395/.

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