The Taliban have banned women in Afghanistan from speaking in public. This news has shocked and disheartened women in Afghanistan.
One woman said, “If we can’t speak, why live?” Shabana met with the BBC to discuss current issues with women’s rights. This law saddened Shabana and other women in Afghanistan, but also other women from many different social backgrounds have shown sympathy for the women in Afghanistan. This has brought community within women; women all over have come together to show support for women in Afghanistan. UN Women has posted an emergency appeal for women and girls in Afghanistan where people can make donations to help provide support during these challenging times.
Since the Taliban took over in 2021, women’s rights have drastically been taken away. The Taliban was previously in power in Afghanistan until U.S. troops led an invasion that kicked the Taliban out. Twenty years later, they claimed back the land and took over, making women in Afghanistan frightened for their rights and lives.
The Taliban have banned women in Afghanistan from having the right to an education and to work. The Taliban has also prohibited women from showing any skin, stating they must cover from head to toe in clothing; they can no longer show their faces or any other body part in public. Now, they no longer have the right to speak in public. Women in Afghanistan have come out to say, “It’s like being a woman in Afghanistan is a crime”; this may sadden some who feel the rights of women are being stripped that now they see no point in living.
This may also link to what has been going on in the 2024 US election that saw Donald Trump be made president-elect; many are concerned with what this means for abortion rights in America. Women all over are having their fundamental rights taken away; what may this mean for future generations? Countries like the US that impact societal views, as it is a first world country, may influence other first world countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, etc. Third-world countries will have no other choice but to follow suit. We may be witnesses to a social regression.
By Jadeine
Boston High School Newsroom