Woman's Right Evoked in Afghanistan

You are a woman in Afghanistan going about your daily life. You go to school in hopes of getting a degree and walk home from school while stopping along the way to pick up some vegetables from the local stand. Your head whips around to the horrifying sounds of a woman’s strangled voice. Blows from an unidentified man are being blocked as well as the tortured woman can muster. What would you do? The answer is probably nothing if you want to stay alive. What choices do you have when you’re a woman in Afghanistan invaded by armed men anyway?

Source: National Geographic

Women in Afghanistan pre-Taliban gained rights just like any other country over the years. In the early 1960s in fact, Afghan women gained full equality. (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, The Taliban's War Against Women). Yet in 1996, the Taliban, an extremist Islamist group invaded Afghanistan and took away women’s rights. The Taliban banned women from walking in the street without a male present and took away the right to dress the way they have for years and possibly their whole lives. (Lemmon, 14). Women had to dress head to toe in a chadri* and their eyes could only be seen. As well, women are not permitted to work causing poverty and helplessness for women’s households. This led to many issues for families.

Some males in households made the decision to flee the country in fear of being rounded up to fight for the Taliban, leaving women to fend for themselves. Women went without food and entertainment during this time. Although some women would risk their lives to go out and earn money losing their dignity in the process while becoming prostitutes, others feel they have no choice and cower in fear of being abused. Women did whatever they had to do to stay alive and keep their families safe. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Not only were mothers affected by this invasion but teenagers were. Being a female high school student, and having the knowledge that teenagers were forced to be the head of their household when their mother’s are killed is very distressing. The teenage girl would be more subjected to being sexually assaulted and thrusted into motherhood and could potentially destroy her future. (Riphenburg, Post-Taliban Afghanistan: Changed Outlook for Women?)

Source: NY Times

Keep in mind, the Taliban invaded and took over the Afghanistan government in 1996. To this day, women are still fighting for their rights that were stolen sixteen years ago. In April 2009, women in Kabul, Afghanistan marched through Kabul in protest of Taliban-like laws that were passed in favor of men. The women who took part in the protest endured stones being thrown, racey insults, and overall disapprovement because of their eagerness for equal rights. (Kristoff, Three Cheers for Afghan Women).

Because of the wars and battles involving Afghanistan, getting health aid and modern contraception for women is increasingly difficult. Because of the conflict, one in seven mothers die giving birth. All of the war and conflict and the invasion of the Taliban in Afghanistan has resulted in putting women’s health at risk. Their wellbeing is being put at risk. Nonetheless, the Taliban did not see it this way and justify these actions by claiming that they are trying to “ensure a society in which women had a safe and dignified role”.

All about the life of a woman and her family in Afghanistan in 1996 can be discussed in The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Lemmon. Kamila, a young woman who was studying to get her teaching degree risks her life to save her family under the Taliban. Kamila feels helpless not being able to do anything to help her family since she and her female siblings are trapped inside their home because of the Taliban’s new rules. Kamila’s family runs low on entertainment like books and other items they are not used to going without. The men of her family flee the country and take the risk of traveling to a nearby country in fear of being forced to risk their lives for the Taliban in their army. Kamila decides she does not want to be helpless anymore so she decides on being a seamstress and a dressmaker to sell dresses to make money for her family. Kamila ventures out into her town which is increasingly dangerous to be doing in fear of being abused. Her alternative? Stay at home and let her family turn to dust before her eyes. To Kamila, there was no choice. Even before she made the decision to become a seamstress she knew she had to make some attempt to help her family.

Throughout history, women have fought for rights but this story is unique. Women had rights. This isn’t the issue. The issue is that the Taliban took away rights and woman are fighting to regain rights that were once theirs.

There are very little organizations helping women in Afghanistan. This is not a cause that can be solved by foreign countries. The lack of women’s rights come from within the Afghanistan government. The only thing we can do as mankind is to be aware. Be aware that this is going on and that Afghan women are fighting to regain rights. Though they do not have as many rights as they did, they are brave and courageous which can be demonstrated by their protest of April 2009.

* Chadri: A covering that covers a woman in fabric from head to toe