How is Taliban Rule Impacting Human Rights?
- Nuray Nyssanbeck
- May 1, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 30, 2024
Writer: Nuray NyssanBeck
Imagine waking up one day to find your world is turned upside down. The freedoms you once took for granted are now distant memories, replaced by fear and uncertainty. Streets that were once filled with laughter and bustling activity now lie silent. For millions in Afghanistan, this is their new reality.
With the Taliban's return to power, the promise of hope has been replaced by fear. Women's voices, which once echoed with strength and resilience, are being silenced. Little girls, whose dreams started in classrooms, are now growing up under the weight of oppression.
The human rights progress made over the past decades is disappearing.
Afghanistan, a country ravaged by decades of war and conflict, is once again in the grip of a humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses after the Taliban took power in 2021. In essence, the Taliban is a totalitarian terrorist Islamist dictatorship that does not respect human rights.
The country has a high level of terrorism, extremism, radicalism, poverty and corruption.
On May 1, 2021, in connection with the announcement of the final withdrawal of American troops from the country, the militants of the banned terrorist organization "Taliban" launched an active offensive operation against the government forces of Afghanistan. The Afghan government began to rapidly lose control over the territory of the country. By early August, the Afghan Taliban had captured and held 200 district centers out of 417, and by mid-August already most of the territories of Afghanistan, including 2/3 of the provincial capitals. On August 15, 2021, the Taliban announced the complete capture of Afghanistan.
The Taliban Takeover, A Year of Broken Promises
On August 15, 2021, militants of the banned terrorist movement "Taliban" practically without a fight occupied the Afghan capital Kabul and established their power in the country. The government of Ashraf Ghani, the former president of the country, did not last even four months from the moment the United States began withdrawing troops from the country. Upon coming to power, the Taliban declared their readiness to cooperate with the world, create a government that would include representatives from all over the country, and also ensure the basic rights of the population, including women.
Most of what was promised then was not fulfilled over the years.
After the fall of the ex-government, the economy collapsed. Due to the arrival of the Taliban, foreign aid, which previously accounted for 45% of the country's GDP, ceased to flow into the not rich, war-torn country. Foreign assets of the Central Bank of the country in the amount of about $ 9.2 billion were frozen. The humanitarian situation has worsened: 20 million people, or half of the country's population, are now experiencing food shortages. [1]
There was a significant outflow of human capital - tens of thousands of highly qualified workers fled the country. In addition, restrictions were introduced on the work of women in the private and public sectors.
As a result, the number of women employed in the economy has sharply decreased.
Women's Rights Under Siege
From 1998 to 2019, the share of women grew from 15 to 22% of all workers. However, in 2021, this figure fell back to 15%.[2] At the same time, the Taliban promised that they would respect the rights of women and allow them to work on condition that they wear a burqa.
The Ministry of Women's Affairs was disbanded, TV channels were banned from showing serials with the participation of actresses, and journalists were ordered to appear on camera only with their heads covered with a scarf. Also, Afghan women are now prohibited from traveling further than 45 miles (72 km) without a male relative accompanying them.
In March of this year, after a six-month break, secondary schools opened in Afghanistan, but girls were still not allowed to receive education. The restriction affected 1.1 million Afghan schoolgirls.
The Constitution of Afghanistan of 2004 states that women and men have equal rights and obligations before the law, and that any discrimination against citizens of Afghanistan is prohibited. However, after coming to power, the de facto Minister of Justice announced the Taliban's plan to temporarily introduce articles of the 1964 Constitution that comply with Sharia into force and stated that international laws and agreements that do not contradict the principles of Sharia and the Islamic Emirate will be respected.[3]
Hunger and Violence
BBN warns that hunger in Afghanistan could kill more people than 20 years of war.[4] The TV channel reports that residents of Kabul and farmers are lining up for humanitarian aid for the first time in their lives, which is catastrophically lacking.
According to the International Rescue Committee, more than 90% of the country's population is malnourished, and at least 20 million Afghans, or about half of the population, are actually starving.[5]
Save the Children reports that about 9.6 million children are suffering from hunger in Afghanistan, and 1.1 million of them are at risk of "the most severe form of malnutrition"
Uncertain Future
The situation in Afghanistan is currently unclear and alarming. The Taliban are not changing their course, which is leading to a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation, an increase in poverty and hunger.
Human rights, especially those of women and girls, are being grossly violated. The international community is unable to find effective levers of influence on the Taliban.
However, the Taliban are gradually carrying out reforms, improving the humanitarian situation and partially respecting human rights. The international community is providing limited support to the new regime in exchange for improvements in the country. Afghanistan is becoming an authoritarian state with limited democratic freedoms. An unexpected scenario is possible, which is unpredictable at the moment. The future of Afghanistan depends on many factors, including the actions of the Taliban, the reaction of the international community and the will of the Afghan people themselves.
References
[1] “Instability in Afghanistan | Global Conflict Tracker.” Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-afghanistan. Accessed 15 April 2024.
[2]Атасунцев, Александр. “Что изменилось в Афганистане за год правления талибов.” РБК, 16 August 2022, https://www.rbc.ru/politics/16/08/2022/62fa46cf9a7947e92e40a3a0. Accessed 28 April 2024.
[3] Atatürk's, Mustafa Kemal. “Women's rights in Afghanistan: An ongoing battle.” European Parliament, 7 April 2023, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/747084/EPRS_BRI(2023)747084_EN.pdf. Accessed 29 April 2024.
[4] “News United Nations.” Wikipedia, https://news.un.org/ru/story/2023/12/1447882. Accessed 1 May 2024.
[5]“Afghanistan: An entire population pushed into poverty.” International Rescue Committee, 9 August 2023, https://www.rescue.org/article/afghanistan-entire-population-pushed-poverty. Accessed 28 April 2024