After the withdrawal of the US Army from Afghanistan, the Taliban, an islamist military organization, took over Afghanistan. This means that the Taliban became the official government of Afghanistan.There are rising concerns over the Taliban’s rule. This concern is mainly due to the severe persecution faced by women. “The central goal of the terrorists is the brutal oppression of women and not only the women of Afghanistan,” said former President George W. Bush when he signed the legislation related to Afghanistan women’s rights. Moreover, people are worried about the Taliban because of its past actions. Although the Taliban did not occupy the whole country before 2021, in the regions under its control, the Taliban banned women from going to school or having a job. The Taliban also forced them to follow islamic fundamentalism. In the current situation, the women and girls are being forced to wear an all-covering burka, and the Taliban coerced them to marry its fighters. Furthermore, they are still not permitted to go to school.
The problem is that the Taliban became skilled at propaganda. In a news on August 17th, 2021, Mujahid, an official spokesman for the Taliban, said that the Taliban is going to allow women to work and study within its frameworks. However, Mujahid did not answer how the Taliban would deal with dress codes and the women workforce. This reflects that the Taliban will continue to suppress women, and the Taliban will only protect women’s rights as far as it meets islamic law.
The future of the Taliban’s rule is uncertain. Thus, it is a global responsibility to protect Afghan women and girls from the Taliban’s oppression.
Now, it is time for us to take action to protect the jeopardized women and girls in Afghanistan. Time for bickering is over.
김다인 생글기자(만방국제학교 3년)
