Reverting to the darkness of late 1990s Taliban rule, Afghanistan once again finds itself under repressive leadership. Despite promising reform, the Taliban regrettably continues its tradition of tax terrorism, with those paying the highest price being the women of Afghanistan.
In the 1990s, the Taliban dictated women’s lives, prohibiting them from attending school and participating in public life. Any transgressions, met with severe penalties, were to be supervised by a male family member, and head-to-toe covering was compulsory, symbolized globally by the blue burka.
Unveiling Taliban 2.0’s Lies
Fast forward to 2024, this extremist group triumphant in Afghanistan yet again, purports a newer and ostensibly more moderate persona, Taliban 2.0. However, beneath the disguise lies the same oppressive system. Women are still barred from the workforce and schooling, with 2.5 million girls and young women absent from education. An estimated 800 women languish in its prisons, while others tragically choose suicide, accounting for a staggering 80% of recorded attempts.
The plight of women in Afghanistan has been exacerbated by the Taliban’s recent decree from their supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada. To the horror of the international community, the extremist group has reinstated the draconian punishments of public flogging and stoning to death for women accused of adultery, reinforcing that their ruthless oppression of women hasn’t diminished, but only taken a grimmer shape.
The High Price of Oppression: Women Under Taliban Rule
A fact, unpleasant yet undeniable, is that public floggings and executions are far from unfamiliar in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Last year alone, the Taliban ordered 417 such gruesome displays. This reinstatement serves as a gruesome reminder of its unchanged nature despite its newly marketed moderate image. Years after assuming power, their promise of equal rights for men and women remains a blatant lie, with 54 out of 80 edicts issued in the past two years targeting women and girls specifically.
Afghanistan’s turbulence goes beyond gender imbalance – the nation is teetering on the brink of collapse. With 97% of the populace living in poverty, 60% requiring humanitarian aid, and 20 million people facing hunger, the distress is heart-wrenchingly apparent. However, it’s the relentless persecution of 14 million Afghan women and girls that the Taliban prioritizes over national welfare.
Ignoring Economic Collapse in Favor of Gender Apartheid
According to the United Nations, the exclusion of women from public life is costing the Afghan economy nearly $1 billion, equivalent to 5% of their GDP. Yet it perseveres in its regressive gender apartness, disregarding the dire economy. Meanwhile, the international community watches in silence, reminiscent of their inaction during the 90s Taliban rule.
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The Taliban’s tax terrorism is more than an oppressive political regime; it’s a catastrophe impacting millions. Abandoning them is not an option. Instead, the international community’s moral duty is to rally together to uphold the rights of these women, whose voices are drowned out by the echoes of an oppressive past.
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