Who are the Taliban?
The Taliban emerged as a fundamentalist Islamist political and military group in 1994. The group consisted of former Afghan resistance fighters, known as mujahideen , who had fought the Soviet invaders in the 1980s. They sought to impose their interpretation of Islamic law on Afghanistan and remove all foreign influence. By 1998, they had taken control of 90% of Afghanistan .
After coming to power, the group quickly sparked international outrage for implementing an extreme version of Sharia that drastically violated women’s rights. The Taliban declared that women were not allowed to go to work and were not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male family member. When they did go out, they were required to wear a full-body burqa. They were also denied formal education and forced to stay at home. Physical violence was normalized as a means of control.
Taliban operations have often crossed into Afghanistan, reaching regions such as Pakistan, where in 2012 the group shot and killed schoolgirl , now activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner for fighting for women's right to education, Malala Yousafzai.
US Intervention and Armed Conflict
In 2001, the United States responded to the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, which killed nearly 3,000 people. Officials blamed the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was then in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban. When the Taliban refused to extradite him, the United States intervened militarily, soon removing the Taliban from power. At the same time, it pledged to establish democracy and eliminate the terrorist threat.
Then- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan famously said: "There can be no real peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan without the restoration of women's rights."
Meanwhile, NATO allies joined the United States, and a new Afghan government took power in 2004. Yet the Taliban's deadly attacks continued . U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to send more troops in 2009 helped push the Taliban back—but not for long.
In 2014 – the bloodiest year since 2001 – the international NATO force ended its military mission, leaving responsibility for security to the Afghan army. This intensified the Taliban’s activities, which seized more territory.
Peace talks began between the US and the Taliban, in which the Afghan government was practically uninvolved. Only four women participated in them . An agreement to withdraw was reached in February 2020 in Qatar. However, it did not stop the Taliban attacks - instead of American forces, they focused on Afghan security forces and civilians. They gained control over more areas.
The fundamental and defining aspect of the armed conflict in Afghanistan over the past two decades has been the harm to civilians through massive human rights abuses and war crimes committed by all sides. It is estimated that around 50,000 Afghan fighters and the same number of civilians have died in the war . Around 3,500 coalition soldiers have lost their lives. Research by Brown University indicates that US spending on the conflict amounted to $978 billion (3.8 trillion zloty) by 2020.
Afghanistan has the third-largest population of forcibly displaced people in the world, according to the UN. Some 5 million people have been forced to flee their homes since 2012.
Taliban takeover
In April 2021, President Joe Biden announced a plan to withdraw U.S. and NATO forces by September of that year, regardless of whether progress was made in intra-Afghan peace talks or whether the Taliban reduced its attacks on Afghan security forces and citizens.
Faced with little resistance, Islamic radicals overran almost all of Afghanistan and took control of the capital on August 15, 2021.
The Taliban have promised an “open, inclusive Islamic government ,” heralding a new era of peace, including an amnesty for those they have been fighting for two decades.
But Afghans who remember the brutal Taliban rule and those who lived in areas controlled by the Islamist militants in recent years have watched with growing fear as the insurgents have seized much of the country. Many have rushed to leave the country , lining up at ATMs to withdraw their life savings. There has been chaos and panic at airports. Commercial flights have been suspended.
On Monday, August 16, 2021, the first full day of Taliban rule, Islamists patrolled the streets of Kabul , urging shopkeepers and government workers to return to work. Taliban checkpoints were set up and a curfew was imposed.
Most women have stayed at home, fearing punishment for not covering their bodies. They only go out in full burkas.
History of Women's Rights in Afghanistan
Before the Taliban took power
The history of the fight for women's rights in Afghanistan began long before the arrival of the Taliban in the early 1990s.
Before the 1970s, women's rights in Afghanistan were advancing at a pace similar to many other Western nations . Afghan women gained the right to vote in 1919, just a year after women in Britain or Poland. Gender segregation in public places was abolished in the 1950s, and in the 1960s a new constitution included women in politics and gave them equality under the law. Since the 1970s, instability in the region has gradually eroded these rights.
Taliban rule: 1996-2001
The Taliban's rule in the 1990s effectively destroyed women's progress . The group introduced its own extreme version of Sharia law , which meant that women were denied access to education and work, and were prohibited from leaving their homes without a male guardian, showing any skin in public, or using healthcare administered by a man (which allowed some female doctors and nurses to continue working ), let alone participating in politics.
Women and girls suffered severe physical, psychological and sexual violence, and many were kidnapped and handed over to the militants as sex slaves.
During the US intervention: 2001-2021
Since the Taliban regime was ousted in late 2001, women’s rights have gradually improved. Under the 2004 constitution, women were once again legally equal to men. They were no longer required to wear the burqa and could organize themselves. In 2009, Afghanistan passed the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) Act. Afghan women also gained access to education, and 27% of the 250 seats in the Afghan parliament were reserved for women . What’s more, in recent years, about 22% of the Afghan workforce has been made up of women, who have begun to hold senior positions in politics, the military, and the judiciary— more than 200 of the country’s judges are women , and as of April 2021, more than 4,000 women worked in law enforcement.
But as in all war-torn societies, women have paid a disproportionate price. Even without Taliban control, their situation was extremely difficult. Despite the efforts of the Afghan government and international donors investing in girls' education , an estimated two-thirds of Afghan girls are not in school .
87% of Afghan women are illiterate and 70% to 80% face forced marriage, many before the age of 16.
Money donated to promote women’s rights has often been lost to corruption. Women in public office have faced misogynistic violence aimed at intimidating and terrorizing Afghan women.
For many reasons, women preferred or were forced to receive medical care exclusively from other women, but decades of denial of education led to a shortage of female health personnel to provide basic care to women in labor. In rural areas, most women did not have adequate access to or could not afford obstetric care. As a result, up to two-thirds of births occurred at home without any medical care, and nearly 4,500 women died each year from complications during pregnancy or childbirth .
Government statistics from 2017 showed that 80% of all suicides in the country are committed by women , making Afghanistan one of the few places in the world where the rate is higher for women than men. Most suicide attempts, however, go unreported for fear of damaging family honor. Psychologists attribute this anomaly to an endless cycle of domestic violence and poverty. A 2008 Global Rights study found that nearly 90% of Afghan women have experienced domestic violence .
What will happen once the Taliban take power again?
Numerous feminist studies confirm that fundamentalist ideologies share common features , regardless of the cultural or religious context: hatred of women and girls as a social group, the desire to control their sexual and reproductive rights and freedoms, and the denial of their access to every sphere of decision-making – be it political, economic or cultural.
The Afghan government and the world have stood by passively as violence against women has continued in recent years. In May 2020, the Taliban attacked a maternity hospital in Afghanistan, killing 16 women . In May 2021, they bombed a school, killing 90 girls. Despite this, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid insisted at an Aug. 17 press conference that the Taliban recognizes women’s rights under Islam .
Most likely, however, this is an attempt to divert attention from the brutal actions of the militants. From the accounts of Afghan women, we know that the restrictions on their freedom have already begun. In one recent incident, at a branch of the Afghan Azizi Bank in the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban were seen escorting female employees from their workplaces after they were informed that their male relatives would take their places.
A university student in Kabul recounted how police evacuated her female colleagues the weekend after the Taliban took power . The women were unable to use public transport because drivers were too afraid of Taliban reprisals for transporting them. She also described how her sister was forced to flee her government job, saying she would “have to burn everything I’ve achieved in my 24 years.”
"I'm sitting here waiting for them to come. There's no one here to help me and my family. They'll come for people like me and kill us. I can't leave my family. Besides, where else could I go?"
– wrote Zarifa Ghafari , an activist and politician, one of the first Afghan female mayors (the first was Azra Jafari in 2008). She became mayor in 2018 at the age of 26. Then, a crowd armed with sticks and stones appeared in front of her house, wanting to take her office by force. She did not give up and continued her work. In March last year, unknown perpetrators shot at her car.
What can the international community do?
On August 5, 2021, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark sent an official letter to the European Commission opposing the suspension of deportations to Afghanistan. Greece, Austria, and Belgium also signed the letter. Since then, Germany and the Netherlands have temporarily suspended deportations, but the cynical attitude of European governments poses a real risk to those crossing borders.
This critical situation is a stark reminder of the need to uphold the right to asylum. Governments should abandon their harmful plans to close borders and ensure that those who must cross borders for safety are protected, not punished.
If we do not recognize misogyny as a core component of extremist ideologies and movements, we will never stop them.
It is essential to ensure that women's rights organizations play a central role in strategic decisions to end the conflict.
Malala issued a call to world leaders to act to protect women's rights in Afghanistan. "We are watching in complete shock as the Taliban take control of Afghanistan. I am deeply concerned for women, minorities and human rights defenders," she wrote on Twitter. "Global, regional and local authorities must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian assistance and protect refugees and civilians."
What can you do?
Here is a great summary of possible actions, prepared by the Halina Nieć Legal Aid Center:
Below are more ideas from us.
Put pressure on
Although the Polish government was involved in the military intervention in Afghanistan, it still did not create an appropriate migration policy for Afghans. And yet the unstable situation in the region is also their responsibility. The only help was supposed to be 45 humanitarian visas for collaborators of Polish forces to be collected at the consulate in New Delhi. Finally, under enormous pressure, a decision was made that Poland would send a plane for them.
Moreover, in response to the situation on the external border, the government adopted a draft amendment to the Acts on Foreigners and on Providing Assistance to Them . The outrageous provision recognizing illegal border crossing as a crime and introducing penalties for it was removed from the draft. However, there are no plans to build new centers or adapt places for housing for refugees. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration quietly changed the regulations, reducing the permissible area per person from 4 square meters to 2 square meters, further reducing their comfort of life.
Call on Polish politicians to act, demand a fair asylum policy and join the appeal of social organizations , which is supported by Amnesty International and the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, among others. When fighting for visibility for refugees, do not repeat dehumanizing narratives - here and here you can educate yourself on this topic and the myths circulating around them.
Support us financially
Feminist organizations in Afghanistan have provided education, healthcare, and safe spaces for women and children for years. At this critical moment, they need help. We encourage you to support organizations directly involved in the fight for the rights of Afghan women and girls.
Stay up to date
If you want to know what's happening in Afghanistan, we recommend following a few Instagram profiles:
- Jagoda Grondecka ( @grondecka ) – a journalist reporting straight from Kabul,
- Parwana Mirio ( @parwanaamiriofficial ) – activist and poet from Afghanistan, currently residing in a refugee camp in Greece,
- Salam Lab ( @salamlabpl ) – an organization working for migrants.
Created at: 22/08/2022
Updated at: 22/08/2022
