The fact that the Taliban regaining control over Afghanistan spells doom and regression for women is undeniable. Reports already suggest that as the Afghanistan crisis unfolds, women leaders and activists who have taken a more empowered role in all spheres of Afghan lives in the last 20 years are under threat. As per the reports, women have already been banned as news anchors since the Taliban took over the capital on Sunday. Providing these women in Afghanistan, and other Afghan people hoping to escape violence, with refuge in other countries is a matter of international discussion. In the meantime, activities by the Taliban in Kabul suggest these evacuations need to be expedited.
The Taliban’s fighters entered the capital city on Sunday, and since then, there has been an active move to remove posters of women from street facades—especially outside women-oriented businesses, like beauty parlours. Images from Kabul show workers tearing down or painting over photos of women. Similarly, advertisements of women are also being torn down.
Image courtesy: Twitter/HillelNeuer
The same beauty parlour facade, before and after the Taliban took control. Image courtesy: AFP/Twitter/NatalieAmiri
Image courtesy: Twitter/NatalieAmiri
This move clearly shows that the rights and lives of women in Afghanistan are, once again, threatened by the Taliban. The last time they were in power (between 1996 and 2001), women were banned from work and education, and could not even step out of their homes without a burqa on and a male relative accompanying them. As the Afghanistan crisis unfolds, it’s expected that more violations of the rights of women in Afghanistan may take place.