Taliban-Like Treatment of Women Returning to Afghanistan

An increasing number of reports have emerged from Afghanistan indicating that Taliban-like discrimination against women is on the rise.

Life Under the Taliban

It is no secret that under the Taliban, which was ousted from power in Afghanistan by a U.S.-led invasion in October 2001, women were deprived of even the most basic rights in a male-dominated society.

Women were not allowed to leave the house unless escorted by a male family member, and were forbidden from attending school or working outside of the home. Co-mingling between men and women non-relatives was strictly prohibited.

Punishments for women convicted of crimes under the Taliban regime were swift and harsh, with public stonings and executions by gunfire conducted with startling regularity. Women who were raped were often convicted of having illegal sexual liaisons, and were subsequently deemed outcasts by their families and by Afghan society.

Progress Under the Karzai Government

After the United States invaded Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, women began to experience greater freedom and enjoy additional basic rights as schools for girls were opened and women's departments within the Karzai government began to address long-festering women's issues.

A Taliban Resurgence

As the war in Afghanistan began to heat up over the past few years, however, the Taliban began to increase its attacks on teachers at schools for girls, and on the infrastructure of the schools as well.

The Taliban has been steadily increasing its reach of late, prompting concerns in the United States and among NATO member countries that the war in Afghanistan was being lost.

As the Taliban has continued to make gains against coalition forces, the dangers for women have increased remarkably. More women are ending up in prison after being raped, and are often held in horrid conditions without basic necessities. In addition, many are forced to bring their children with them, especially if there is no family available to care for them.

With a diminished role in society, Afghan women are often subject to unfair legal practices and have great difficulty proving their innocence without male witnesses to support their case.

Women's Future Unclear

Whether conditions and basic rights for women in Afghanistan will improve in the near future is unclear, given uncertainty about the U.S.-led war effort, instability in Pakistan, and the renewed vigor with which the Taliban is waging its war against coalition forces and the Karzai government.

One thing is certain: women will continue to be subject to harsh treatment in Afghanistan until the forces of modernity can take hold and women's rights can be enforced throughout the country.