Two Years After the Taliban, the Dire Situation of Afghan Women Has Not Changed Significantly

Two years after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, a group of human rights defenders states that there has been no significant change in the dire situation of Afghan women. According to a report from Amnesty International released on Monday, Afghan women are subjected to domestic violence and even sexual assault, and under familial-social pressures, they are forced into unwanted marriages. The existing judicial system in Afghanistan lacks both the ability and the willingness to address the existing problems. The London office of Amnesty International also criticized other global communities that claimed to help change the conditions for women in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban, accusing them of failure. The extremist-religious Taliban regime, which collapsed with the help of the United States, forced women to wear hijabs that covered their faces completely and additionally removed women from the workforce and education, confining them to their homes. The new Afghan government has annulled some of the regulations established by the Taliban regime, but in areas under the control of 'warlords', where they have their own military forces, there is limited power to enforce new regulations and consequently support women in these areas. A report was issued a few days prior to the presentation of the draft constitution. Human rights advocates hope that the new constitution of Afghanistan will be able to change the status of women in the religious society of Afghanistan. According to the new constitution, forcing women into unwanted marriages, requiring dowries at the time of marriage, and other forms of discrimination against women are legally prohibited. The new constitution also assures women that 'their voices will be heard, their votes will be decisive, and their place in the future parliament is guaranteed.'