Treatment of women by the Taliban

While in power in Afghanistan, the Taliban became known for their misogyny and violence against women. Now that the Taliban has most of Afghanistan again, there are many concerns.

Women in Afghanistan had to wear the burqa in public at all times. Women were not allowed to work, they were not allowed to be educated after the age of 8. Until then, they were only allowed to study the Qur'an.

Women wanting an education had to attend illegal schools, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. The Taliban allowed marriage for girls under the age of 16. Amnesty International reported that 80% of Afghan marriages were forced.

Since they came to power again in 2021, the Taliban have reduced the freedom of women. This has affected the possibility of women to work, or to attend schools, or higher education. In December 2021, the Taliban restricted the ability for women to travel longer distances, without being acccompanied by a male family member. For this, a government minister of neighboring Pakistan has critizied them, calling them an extreme government: "We want to fully help the people of Afghanistan. But saying that women can’t travel alone or go to schools and colleges — this kind of a retrogressive thinking is a threat to Pakistan."

On December 20, 2022, the Taliban banned female students from attending higher education  with immediate effect. This was against the promises they had given earlier. The next day, December 21, 2022, the Taliban banned all girls and women from education; this included female staff or teachers in schools. Being a teacher was one of the last few jobs women were allowed to take. There are also reports that women who used to work in government jobs previously are being paid to sit at home.

Healthcare also became worse. At first, male doctors were allowed to treat women in hospitals, but the order that no male doctor should be allowed to touch the body of a woman, even if to diagnose or treat her, was soon introduced. With fewer female health professionals, many women have to travel longer distances to get treatment. There are also fewer clinics that offer checks during pregnancy.

After the Taliban takeover, female healthcare workers reported safety issues and being harassed by the Taliban. Maternal health care conditions declined and many doctors reported that the number of babies and children who die had increased.

In November 2022, women were banned from gyms, public baths, public parks, and amusement parks.

While Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the Minister for Higher Education until October 2022, wanted to allow women to go to Universities, his successor Neda Mohammad Nadeem opposes University education for women.

In February 2023, _The Guardian_ reported that the Taliban began to reduce access to contraceptives. They ordered pharmacies to clear their stocks of birth control medicine and threatened midwives. In Kabul, Taliban fighters stated that "contraceptive use and family planning is a western agenda".

In July 2023, Taliban banned women’s beauty parlours in Afghanistan. Parlours which were already operating were given a time limit of 1 month to shut down.

## Other websites

- Afghanistan: A journey through Taliban country - a half hour documentary, by France 24, Published 11.6.2021