After the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan on August 15 of this year, uncertainties lay ahead for the country, especially for its 14.2 million women and girls. Since the withdrawal of American forces and the takeover of the Taliban, the international community is wondering what Afghan society will look like in the near future.

 The Taliban’s control is a serious threat to the liberty of women and girls. Few women are seen on the streets, those who are seen are forced to wear a burqa (a garment worn for religious purposes that covers the face and body), and those enrolled in further education are not permitted to return to classes.

 A major fear of the world is that the Taliban will return to their policies of the 1990s, where women could not go out in public without a male chaperone and were restricted from receiving an education.

 The Taliban’s hold is not just affecting the women in the country- banks are not open, electricity and internet are not stable, and hunger is ravaging the people. 

 In response to this humanitarian crisis, Pashtana Durrani, founder of a nonprofit focused on female education in Afghanistan explained in an interview with NPR, “…any civilian can pressurize the government into pressurizing the Taliban into doing that [aiding the people of Afghanistan] because the Taliban are fishing for legitimacy and aid, and every country contributes to Afghanistan”.

 One hope for Afghanistan is that they will accept foreign aid for their people and that liberties will be returned to the women and other oppressed groups in Afghanistan. However, only time will tell and we’ll be sure to update you on the situation.

Source:

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2021/9/29/photos-afganistan-kabul-life-changing-under-taliban-just-not-all-at-once.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/world/asia/taliban-women-kabul-university.html.
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/22/1030099980/predicting-whats-ahead-for-afghans-one-week-after-the-taliban-arrived-in-kabul.