The Taliban, the group in charge of Afghanistan, has made strict rules based on their version of Islamic law that greatly harm women. The International Criminal Court’s main lawyer wants to arrest top Taliban leaders for treating women badly, which is considered a crime against humanity.
The Taliban claims they protect Afghan women’s rights according to Sharia law, but many of their rules are not practiced elsewhere in the Islamic world and have received criticism from Muslim leaders. The United Nations has called the situation “gender apartheid,” and no country has recognized the Taliban as the official government since they took over in 2021.
Education: The Taliban stopped girls from going to public secondary schools at the beginning of the school year in 2022. A year later, they also shut universities for women. The few remaining courses for girls, such as midwifery and nursing, were stopped late last year. Afghanistan is now the only country where girls and women can’t get an education, and this decision has faced widespread disapproval from Muslim leaders, including those from the Muslim World League.
Work: The Taliban has made it hard for women to keep their jobs. Women who were part of the previous government’s workforce have mostly lost their jobs and are now often stuck at home, with their pay cut. Technically, women can work for some NGOs and the United Nations, but that is not strictly enforced. They can only work from home or in businesses mainly for women, like textile factories. Private companies can hire women, but they must be in separate areas from men.
Public Life: In cities where women once dressed modestly, there are now big signs telling them to cover their hair, faces, and bodies completely. Women hardly show up on TV anymore, and many female reporters can no longer work. They are also banned from public places like parks and gyms, and many salons and baths have been closed. Women must have a male relative with them if they want to travel long distances. One of the new rules says women cannot sing or read poetry in public, and their voices and bodies must be hidden outside their homes. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has closed down, and its duties have moved to the Taliban’s “Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” which watches over what is considered moral behavior.
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