The mainstream media has progressively lost interest in the debate over the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaos that followed. But, just because we are not hearing about it as much: does not mean it isn’t still happening! Although it might feel like there is not much we can do to help, it is important to be educated on the situation and continue to discuss it and seek ways we can make a difference.
Recently, Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, fell to the Taliban. This change in government was spurred on by the decision to remove American troops from Afghanistan. If you were to compare Kabul in 2001 with it now today, you would see that it has transformed from a fairly bleak landscape to one with modern buildings such as shopping malls, and offices. This transformation was largely introduced by America and was not entirely sustainable because it depended on outside support for help with improvements in public health, and business opportunities for the Afghan people.
Journalists have written in recent days of the complexity of the task facing the Taliban: on the one hand, in the countryside, many of the poorer communities are simply relieved that the fighting has ended and are thus likely to give credit to the Taliban for bringing peace even if they disagree with other elements of governance. But in the mega-capital, and in provincial cities like Herat or Jalalabad, holding things together will be more difficult. It is not only Afghanistan that will feel the effects: it’s neighbours such as Pakistan and China will be affected by the chaos as well.
Although this is distressing for all Afghan people, it is even more so for the women of Afghanistan. For the last 20 years, there have been many advances to women’s rights, which the current situation looks set to erase almost overnight. In the Taliban's previous regime 1997 - 2001, girls were prohibited from having an education past the age of 10, and had to wear a burqa when leaving the house - which they couldn't leave without a male companion. Women were not allowed to work and tens of thousands of innocent women and girls were killed, taken from their families where they were then used as sex slaves and married to Taliban militants. Sadly, reports have said that women who were working in banks in Kandahar have been told to go home and have been replaced by men. Women and girls are already being told they cannot attend school/university. Malala issued a call to action to global leaders to defend the rights of women in the country. “We watch in complete shock as the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates,” she wrote on Twitter. Amnesty International warned that while the Taliban "have attempted to portray to the world that they will respect human rights ... the ground reality is far from this." The Taliban are preaching that they have changed, and aren’t how they used to be; however there are still numerous accounts of violent and inhumane treatment of Afghan civilians. For example, A man, aged 22 and named Daryabi says he was covering a women's rights protest in Kabul this month when he was taken to a police station by Taliban fighters and severely beaten. This places human rights such as freedom of speech and religion at risk.
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