The demonstration was led by Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, Zieba Shorish-Shamley, chair of the Women's Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan, and Sima Wali from Refugee Women in Development. If this was happening to any other class of people around the world, there would be tremendous outcry. We must make sure these same standards are applied when it is women and girls who are brutally treated.
Women can now no longer work outside of the home.
Girls are prohibited from attending school. In addition, women are required to completely cover their bodies with a burqa including a mesh covering over the eyes. Women have been beaten for appearing in public without being fully veiled. The Taliban is reported to have received extensive financial support from Saudi Arabia and military aid from Pakistan. Pakistan was the first nation to officially recognize the Taliban as the ruling power in Afghanistan, and was soon followed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.