The majority of the population left inside the country have been internally displaced as a result of the unending war of the past two decades and in particular of the fundamentalist in-fighting of the past eight years. Against such a backdrop, the country slid into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists in 1992. Islamic fundamentalism in essence looks upon women as sub-humans, fit only for household slavery and as a means of procreation. With the coming to power of Islamic fundamentalists in 1992, women s right to full participation in social, economic, cultural and political life of the country was drastically curtailed and later on summarily denied them by the Taliban. This incredible list could be carried on and on but does not in itself constitute the whole of the tragedy which has engulfed the better half of Afghan society.
Women are looked upon as war booty, their bodies are another battleground for belligerent parties.
Atrocities in Bosnia pale when compared to atrocities in Afghanistan, but unfortunately for reason which it may not be appropriate to go into in this context, the world community neither hears nor cares about what goes on in Afghanistan. With the fundamentalists war mentality, and fanned by ethnic hatred and religious bigotry, all areas that come under their control are regarded as occupied land and the inhabitants are treated accordingly. Sexual crimes against women, gang raping, lust murders, abductions of young females, blackmail of families with eligible daughters, etc. were commonplace during the rule of the pre-Taliban fundamentalists. The Taliban initially made a show of piety and abhorring sexual crimes against women, but recently reports of their depravity are growing with each passing day. In this, like other atrocities, they have surpassed their fundamentalist brethren.