Since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, on 15th August 2021, world leaders have shown great concerns about women’s rights in the country. The interim Afghan Taliban government holds that the women’s rights issues are the internal issues of the country and the world has no right to meddle in its internal matters. However, Afghanistan is a signatory of multiple international treaties that bound it to provide equal rights to women and ensure human rights. On the other hand, the Western world has completely terminated all sorts of engagement and relations with Afghanistan and has also imposed sanctions on the country. This has further exacerbated the plight of women in Afghanistan. However, Russia and the regional countries are positively engaging with the interim Afghan government to avoid any humanitarian crisis and ensure the provision of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
The Taliban Takeover and Its Global Repercussions
After the disgraceful US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban rapidly replaced the US-backed corrupt government in the country. Taliban’s takeover in Kabul astonished the world. While many observers around the world asserted that this takeover would put an end to the US-backed inefficient and corrupt government in Afghanistan, others seemed concerned regarding the upcoming humanitarian crisis and human rights violations in the country. The previous Taliban government in Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, is uncelebrated around the world for its violations of women’s rights.
Human Rights Under Taliban Rule: A Deteriorating Situation
Nonetheless, the advocators of the Taliban government held that the human rights situation in Afghanistan would be different this time as the mainstream Taliban rulers have to represent themselves as responsible by ensuring the provision of human rights and adhering to international law. However, after three years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, many international human rights organizations and Western leaders are showing solemn concerns about the plight of Afghan women. Their situation has deteriorated significantly under the interim Taliban government in the country. Reports suggest that Afghan women have been the targets of torture, detention, and abuses under the Taliban government.
According to Amnesty International, the interim Taliban government has placed significant restrictions on girls and women, aimed at completely erasing them from the public arena. International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Amnesty International found the Taliban government’s restrictions on girls and women amount to a crime against humanity. The Taliban government also conducted a crackdown against working women. The interim government ordered all international aid organizations and agencies to refrain from employing women. Moreover, all the beauty salons in the country were also shut down by the interim government. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), women’s employment in Afghanistan has dropped by 25 percent under Taliban rule.
Human Rights Watch report demonstrates that, 60000 jobs have been due to the Afghan Taliban’s recent crackdown. Simultaneously, women are also deprived of educational opportunities under the incumbent government. Girls over 6 years of age have been prohibited from attending school education. They provide religious education as an alternative to scientific education. Experts and observers fear that this would result in increased violence and childhood marriages in the country.
The Path Forward: International Engagement and Regional Influences
Despite concerns from around the world, the Taliban government refers to the issue of women’s rights as an internal matter. They have repeatedly asserted that no international force or organization holds the right to meddle in the internal issues of the country. The Taliban government remains oblivious to different international treaties, including the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which their country is a signatory and which bound them to ensure the provision of women and human rights. The deterioration of women’s rights in Afghanistan will not only affect the country but will also influence the whole region. Conservative narrative against women will also strengthen in Iran due to the plight of women in the neighboring country. Moreover, it would increase refugee influx in Pakistan, which is already overburdened due to illegal Afghan refugees living in the country.
However, the Taliban government is not the sole responsible for this predicament. The self-proclaimed champion of human rights, the United States, left the country in a lurch after a disgraceful defeat without establishing a strong government and institutions in the country. Moreover, the West’s policy of disengagement with the Afghan Taliban has provided autonomy to the interim government to impose their will on the Afghan citizens unrestrictedly. The Western economic sanctions on Afghanistan have further exacerbated the situation and have revealed the reality of their concerns about human rights. The only way to ensure the provision of women’s rights in the country is through positive engagement with the interim government. Russia, China, and other regional countries have emerged as a beacon of hope for the people of Afghanistan. By engaging with the Taliban government, they can not only help the country evade the looming economic crisis, but they can also pressure the Taliban government diplomatically to ensure the provision of women’s rights. The inclusion of Afghanistan in BRICS can also help in strengthening the economy of the country and broadening their views on human rights and women’s rights.
Abbas Hashemite – is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist, exclusively for “New Eastern Outlook”
