In the remote Tangi Shadan village of Allahyar district in Afghanistan’s Ghor province, the bodies of a 45-year-old widow and her 7-year-old granddaughter were discovered by locals in the first week of June 2024. They had disappeared two months earlier and are suspected to have been killed for their property by individuals associated with Mawlawi Jaber, the Taliban district governor. When the widow’s relatives approached the local Taliban office, the governor questioned why a widow was living without remarrying.
In the second week of June, Taliban Supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree limiting the salaries of all female employees to 5,000 Afghanis (around $70) per month, regardless of their job nature, experience, or seniority. This policy, confirmed by the Taliban’s administrative office, perpetuates “working poverty” in a country where employment opportunities are scarce.
These are just two examples of the systematic oppression faced by girls and women under the Taliban rule since August 2021.
The Taliban leader’s discriminatory decrees have emboldened lower-level officials and foot soldiers to violate women’s rights without consequence, leading to incidents like the one in Ghor. Despite occasional international media attention on the situation, many abuses go unreported.
U.N. Women’s recent report highlighted the unprecedented scale of oppression against women and girls in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The ban on girls attending secondary schools for over 1,000 days has serious implications for the country’s future.
While Afghan women demonstrate remarkable resilience, their ability to withstand challenges without external support is uncertain. The international community must prioritize investing in their resilience and advocating for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Efforts by organizations like UNICEF to support education for Afghan children, particularly girls, are commendable, but there is a lack of unified international action to address gender apartheid explicitly in international law. Additionally, the UN has yet to implement Security Council resolution 2721 to appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan.
Regional countries engaging with the Taliban should prioritize advocating for women’s rights and challenging discriminatory policies. It is crucial to engage with the Taliban with the goal of promoting positive change rather than endorsing oppressive practices.