On 15th August 2021, the Taliban was successful in taking control of Kabul, culminating in the formation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the dissolution of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. A hasty American military withdrawal was a major cause behind Taliban’s triumph. American position can be summarized in the words of President Joe Biden “After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces. Any more years in Afghanistan would not have made any difference. US troops were bearing the brunt for them Afghans”.
After the fall of Taliban in 2001, basic human rights of women were restored. Under Taliban, women were subjected to regressive laws of the Sharia, most notable of them excluded women from education and sought control over their sexuality. However, with the Taliban again retaking control, women have again been banned from universities and the workplace.
Before taking over, Taliban had affirmed “we will not prevent women from being educated or having jobs”, but since they have seized control, they have asked all women, except those in the public health sector, to stay away from work, until the security situation improves. Another notable example of Taliban’s disingenuousness was its replacement of “Kandahar Directorate of Women Affairs” with the” Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice”. They introduced a new director and asked women employees to stay home because the “office has a new purpose now”. On 7th September 2021, when Taliban announced the cabinet, there was not even a single woman holding a ministerial position, dispelling any hope of women empowerment under the Taliban.
The Taliban uses religious doctrine to justify its actions; their education minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani was reported saying “We have no problems in ending the mixed-education system, the people are Muslims and they will accept it.".
Mahbouba Seraj, a long time women’s rights activist in Afghanistan, recapitulated the anger and frustration of Afghani women on being abandoned by the international community - “I’m going to say to the whole world, shame on you”.
Further, the general human rights situation is Afghanistan remains dire. According to the UNAMA’S protection of civilian rights report (dated 1st January 2021 to 30th June 2021), there has been an explicit increase in civilian casualties by more than 50% (yoy). There have been continuous summary executions of civilians and hors de combat members of the Afghan national security forces. Right to peaceful protest and right to freedom of speech and expression have been summarily suspended.
The UNHCR adopted a resolution with regards to grave human rights violations in Afghanistan in which it pushed for immediate ceasefire, requesting all parties to refrain from committing any such actions which may result in any kind of human rights violation. The UNHCR also requested the donors and the international community to contribute towards humanitarian assistance. It also pushed for an international, independent monitoring and accounting mechanism to ensure that all violations and crimes were documented.
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