Women Treated In Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, Women’s rights were very denied and completely dismissed. Women were treated horribly. They were beaten, abused verbally, and even killed. Under the rule of the Taliban, women were better off staying in the safety of their own homes.

Before reading The Underground Girls of Kabul I assumed women in Afghanistan had at least some semblance of a meaningful life. I assumed female children had the opportunity to go to school. I assumed they were treated on a human level, and I assumed there was hope for equality in the not too distant future. None of these things seem to be the case. For the majority of women in Afghanistan your life is pre-determined from the moment you are born. “The ownership of an Afghan girl is literally passed on from one male—her father—to the one who becomes her husband. He will take over the ruling of her life, down to the smallest details if he is so inclined.”(Page 44).

Women in Afghanistan still have very little say and are still being mistreated. Women before the Taliban had rights and were able to work and go out like men. During the 1920’s and before the invasion in 1979 women had some rights. When the Soviets invaded in 1979 and the war started women’s rights started to go away. In 1996 when the Taliban took over women’s rights were completely pushed back.

This is all because the laws in Afghanistan that gives most rights to men and not women. Making it Very difficult for women to live their daily lives in

Afghan women seem to have better fortune in America than in Afghanistan. Before Amir and Baba moved to America the only women that were mentioned were not around anymore making it seem like they were not important in the first place. Once Amir and Baba were living in America there were female characters brought in to show that they were able to live their lives better than in Afghanistan. The women were better off in America even before the Taliban took over Afghanistan because they were no longer talked about as disappointments. The lack of women in the novel shows how the men thought of the women as if they were not as capable of doing the things they were able to. Baba was a business leader who did things that were unspeakable in Afghanistan

1. Abu Lughod argues that the “liberation” from burqas, wanted by American women for Afghan women, is an extension of colonialism and western domination because the western women fail to understand what liberation is for the Afghan women. Western women think that the Afghan women are unhappy with their religion because it physically restricts them. On the contrary, Afghan women like their burqas because they feel it brings them closer to Allah. They also culturally disagree with the openness of American fashion. The idea that western women do not take into account the Afghan woman’s perspective on life, and automatically assume that they are trapped by their way of life, can be compared to America’s way of “helping” nations that they believe

United States’ humanitarian relief efforts have recently focused much of their efforts on involving the livelihood of Afghanistan women. For decades, these women have been frequent victims of abuse, despite some success by authorities in prosecuting rape cases, forced marriages and domestic violence. Child marriage, selling and buying women to settle disputes, assault and more than a dozen other acts of violence and abuse against women are a common norm in Afghan society. About 87% of women experience physical, psychological or sexual violence. Incidents of violence against women remain largely under-reported because of cultural restraints, social norms and religious beliefs. Because of widespread discrimination, fears of social stigma

The role women have in Afghanistan is unjust and unreasonable. Due to the rules and regulations, also known as the Sharia laws, implemented by the Taliban, women are constantly fighting a battle to survive in their everyday life. They are denied simple freedom. For example, women are deprived of education, liberty, and freedom. Forget about being able to drive, women cannot even step out of their house without permission from their husbands, or a legal male guardian.

Since the beginning of time, women have had to fight rigorously for basic human rights. In the western stratosphere, those human rights were achieved in the early 20th century, but in a lot of eastern countries the battle for the women is just beginning, or worse hasn't even started. Women in Afghanistan have been subject to heinous circumstances, even though their religion, Islam "demanded that men and women be equal before God,"(Qazi). Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner offers a very insightful view of the governing politics of Afghanistan pre-Taliban regime and during the Taliban regime, and the differing situation of women in both those eras. Based on the book and outside research, it is evident that the situation of women in

The Taliban became responsible for punishing those who committed crimes by killing the criminals. These acts started a small fear in the Afghanistan people. Soon, the Taliban group became a well armed and well funded militia with the support of a province in Pakistan. As soon as fear stirred among the Afghani people, the president of Afghanistan, Burhanuddin Rabbani, tried to create an alliance against the Taliban in Kabul, the capitol. This alliance fell through, and the president eventually fled Afghanistan. In December of 1995, the Taliban took hold of Afghanistan as a result.

Today in the post –Taliban era, women still struggle with their rights. Resolutions were produced and rights for women have advanced since September 11th but in order to move forward, much work needs to be done. Hundreds of years of repression for Afghan women will take a lot longer than a few years to actually revolutionize. There is violence towards women that are not practicing traditions customs and fear retaliations from the Taliban. Customs are difficult to change as well as government policies. (Bora Laskin Law). In Afghanistan, religious and cultural values, politics, and an uncertain acting government have played a major part in the struggle for women’s rights.

“Cosmetics are forbidden,” “ You will not make eye contact with men,” “ Women are forbidden from working,” “ You will not paint your nails”- These are just a few harsh rules the Taliban decided to enforce upon the Afghanistan women. The rules here are followed by terrible consequences if not followed. If the women of Afghanistan break a law, the accused are subject to beatings, stoning to death, and even the possibility of having a finger cut off. Women are treated terribly by men. Men are allowed a magnitude of freedom compared to women. And if a man does something or gets in trouble and a women is involved, the majority of the time, the woman is blamed.

Before Taliban rule, women’s punishments were under the control of Afghan men and were considered reasonable. Afghanistan is

Afghanistan, as well as much of the middle east, is ruled by men. Women are viewed as lesser, and in some places are viewed as nothing more than an object - a possession. Countries such as Yemen, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are notorious for their poor treatment of women (Selby). Afghanistan used to be much the same way - a terrible place for women to live. In the 80’s and 90’s, Afghanistan fell under the rule of the Mujahideen, and later the Taliban. During this time, women had very few rights and virtually no control over their lives. Women were not allowed to leave the house without a man, many were not allowed to work, and were required to be in burqa at all times outside of the home (Selby).

Women in America have talk shows; women in Afghanistan must stay silent. Women in America can choose a path while women in Afghanistan paths are already chosen. So many rights are being violated for woman most clearly amendment one, eight and amendment nineteen. Women don’t have freedom of speech, if a woman disobeys a law a group will kill the woman which breaks