By Hannah Kreetz S5ENA
When I am older, I would like to go to university and drive a car among other things. Because I live in the EU, I am able to fulfill my dreams and follow my passions. If I were living in Afghanistan, however, I could not because I am a girl.
More than a year has passed since the Taliban entered the presidential palace on the 15th of August 2021 and announced their victory. And still the Taliban is in power, forbidding girls to go to school3 and women to leave the house without a male escort1 . Still the Taliban restricts the women of Afghanistan, still men are treated better than women in Afghanistan, still they have more rights. The Taliban rules with violence and power. They hurt and they kill.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are banned from going to secondary school,3 resulting in the oppression of women and girls, and the limitation of their freedom.
Because of the many restrictions on girls’ schooling, underground schools have been opened. This is extremely dangerous, as women and girls will hide books under their burkas, and, if caught, will face serious consequences. 9
Women must cover up under Afghan law. 5
Women and children have been the most impacted by the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.3 At the moment, for example, not one woman is in the Afghan government.2
Women are only allowed to travel and work in the company of a male family member. 5 For many families this is not feasible because women’s male relatives may live too far away, or they need to work themselves. In addition, many workplaces have barred women.5 This means, that there is more poverty and hunger because fewer people can earn money.
This also means that they don’t have the same opportunities as men, because they have been so heavily restricted. For example, if a girl would want to go to university in a different country, she wouldn’t be able to, because she couldn’t finish her education in Afghanistan. So, she might opt for a lower-paying job that she hates.8
Since the Taliban refuses to deal with financial problems and their human rights violations, Afghanistan and its people are even more isolated from the rest of the world than ever. A lot of people can no longer afford enough food and many women cannot afford doctors or medicine1, which results in many malnourished and underweight babies.1
Economic situations are worsening1
If action is not taken soon, Afghanistan and its people, especially women and girls, will face a bleak, misogynistic, disastrous, deadly and violent future.
Only once women and men are treated equally is democracy possible.
Source featured image: https://pixabay.com/photos/afghanistan-girl-burqa-ceremony-60641/
Sources:
1Afghanistan: Shrinking rights for women under Taliban rule | DW News
2What’s the future for women under Taliban rule in Afghanistan? | DW News
3https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1124662
6https://www.refinery29.com/de-de/2017/10/175908/laender-schule-barrieren-maedchen
9What’s life like for Afghan women under the Taliban? A video diary | DW News
7https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vormarsch_der_Taliban_in_Afghanistan_2021
8https://www.hrw.org/de/news/2022/08/11/afghanistan-talibans-catastrophic-year-rule
