AFGHANISTAN WOMENRandi Weiss


             Try to in vision a world were being proud of who you were and what you stood for was a crime. Showing your face in public was unacceptable and could result in great punishment. All decisions were already made for you, from what you wear and how you look, to the type of education you would be able to receive if any at all. For many years, this was the every day life of an average women living in Afghanistan.
             The country of Afghanistan is located in southern Asia and is home to about 29,835,392 people. About 80% of these people follow the strict religion of Islam which much of their government has been based upon for numerous years. (Skaine 6) Easily, Afghanistan society is one of the world’s most poor countries, as the result of twenty-three years of violent war. During these years there were varieties of government groups that held the power of this Islamic country. Having so many different leaders frequently brought unexpected changes to the people. In 1992, Afghanistan was in the hands of the Taliban, a group lead by the Islamic fundamentalists. (About RAWA) To truly understand the women of Afghan today, knowing what the Taliban put them through is the first step.
              “Islamic fundamentalism of any kind in essence looks upon women as sub-humans, fit only for household slavery and as a means of procreation” (About RAWA). The Taliban lived by these words and set up their society to run in this manner. Essentially, all women’s rights were completely dismissed. Taliban placed unbearable laws, upon women of all ages, that held deadly consequences over the heads of any and all violators. “Although the Taliban claimed that it was acting in the best interests of women, the truth is that the Taliban regime cruelly reduced women and girls to poverty, worsened their health, and deprived them of their right to an education, and many times the right to practice their religion” (War Against Women).
              Shortly after taking control, the Taliban took the right to receive any sort of education away from young girls over the age of eight. The consequences to such a law, was a country with an literacy rate less than 20% for males and less than 5% for females (About RAWA). Women were then deprived the right to work, no matter what the job . This affected not just the working women in the country but their families as well. Handfuls of these women were left to raise their families alone due to the harsh civil war where many husbands or other relatives were killed. With no income, these mothers were left no choice but to sell their possessions or beg for money in the streets (War Against Women). With women absent from the work field there was a quick shortage of nurses, teachers, journalists, and many other important professions needed to run a solid society.
              Sadly enough, Taliban soon robbed almost all accesses to health care or medical care for all women in the country. Under the law, in very few cases were the male doctors allowed to look over female patients and even if they were, women had to remain fully clothed. Hospitals were segregated by gender and only one hospital was left with any female doctors or nurses. “The single medical facility where women were permitted contained only 35 patient beds. Clean water, electricity, oxygen, and surgical and diagnostic equipment were not available” (Heath Crisis). When females were in need of medical assistance many had to travel hundreds of miles to get there, and still then weren’t receiving decent care, unlike the male clinics.
            With out normal medical care for women this brought a whole new problem into the equation; the process of reproduction. It has been made clear however, that before the Taliban ever took control there has always been an extremely high maternal and infant mortality rate. The infant mortality rate is 147.02 out of 1,000 live births, which puts the country second highest compared to the rest of the world. (Skaine 5-6) Once the Taliban ruled, the already alarming rate rose even higher due to the fact that women could so rarely be seen by a doctor. If a baby was actually born alive, there still were serious problems the mother had to be concerned about. “According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 165 of every 1000 babies die before their first birthday” (War Against Women).
            These Afghan women were stripped of all basic civil rights, which every human being should have access to. Along with education, work, and health care, the Taliban took control of women’s social world. Another drastic change made was the clothing worn by the women. Before the Taliban, Western style clothing was starting to make its way to the Afghan wardrobe. That was quickly brought to a halt and replaced with burqa or chadari. These articles would completely cover their bodies from head to toe. There is only one small opening around the eyes, but even this space was covered with a mesh material (Campaign for Afghan). To go even further to make sure women remained as hidden as possible, it was required that the windows on the first floor of every house be covered or painted. This eliminated the chance of a women being visible from anyone on the street. Along with staying covered, it was also in order for women not too speak loudly in public. Even laughing aloud was seen as a sin (Logan 5). Even transportation was difficult for women; unable to drive, they were only allowed to leave the house with the company of a male relative (Campaign for Afghan). It was almost as if all women young and old, were on year-round twenty-four-hour house arrest.
         One of the only concepts the Taliban didn’t change were the Afghan views of family: which has always, and still is, the single most important aspect to their culture. If it wasn’t for such a strong bond between many of the Afghan families, the country and people wouldn’t have made it through the ruling of the Taliban. Family was sometimes the only reason to have a little hope and to keep moving forward. Each and every family’s love and strength was being put to the test every day (Skaine).
         Change after change, law after law, the life of Afghan women was nothing like they once had known before the Taliban rule. The Taliban stripped all Afghanistan women of their basic rights as human beings and left little hope for the families living under the harsh ruling. During this time Afghanistan was the last place anyone would want to call home, never-the-less try to raise a family in these conditions. There wasn’t much to look forward to for women of any age at this point in time.
Finally, in 2001 after a tragic terrorist attack the world started to turn their heads toward the helpless country. The United States forced their way in and put an end to the ruling of the Taliban. With the Islamic fundamentalism followers out of power, women desperately were ready to see changes. For the first time in years, hope of a more equal social world had arise for these women. After only five weeks of the invasion the First Lady, Laura Bush, stated, "Because of our recent military gains in much of Afghanistan, women are no longer imprisoned in their homes. The fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women" (About RAWA).
           During the “War on Terrorism,” many families have sought help through refugee camps located through out the country. With women leading the way, there is help being put forth to the families effected by the invasion. “Women have played an important role in these efforts, both in refugee settlements and--clandestinely--in communities in Afghanistan” (War Against Women). Afghan society members are pushing hard to see there be change made in the country, Along with the home land, other countries around the world are doing their part to help and make changes. The United States alone has began multiple groups and organizations to provide aid specifically to women and children of Afghanistan. “U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison recently introduced the "Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001." This bill would authorize U.S. humanitarian aid expenditures on health care and education for women and children” (War Against Women).
          Another successful organization called RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, has also contributed tremendously toward positive changes. The Revolutionary Association is focused directly on women of all ages in Afghanistan. Although the group has been around since 1977, they now are playing a key role more then ever before. Since the Taliban has been overthrown, this organization put its political focus on making sure no more women suffer due to the fundamentalists followers. Educating families and ladies around the world has resulted in numerous women standing up and taking part in the RAWA. The association is fighting for females of all age to receive the basic rights they deserve and for social justice through out Afghanistan. The RAWA knows the task will be a difficult one, but with help from countries around the world, they believe Afghanistan can be a discrimination free world for all people and genders (About RAWA).
            Over the ten year span, Afghan women are slowly starting to get their basic rights back. Although the situation is different in all parts of the country, it was recorded that “some 38% of the women have returned to work, 35% of the school children are girls, [and] universities are again open to women” (Campaign for Afghan). Leading women are occasionally seen walking around town, with out a male by their side, and with no burqas hiding their body, something that seemed would never be possible again in the Islamic ruled world. These improvements, especially the accesses to work and education are mainly being made in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Outside of Kabul, life for women could be compared to what it was like before the war had even started. Times are just as difficult due to the fact that many followers of the Taliban are still living in the Afghan society.
           The removal of the Taliban from control was a giant step in the right direction, but Islamic fundamentals is still strong through out the country. Sadly, “the incidence of rape and forced marriage is on the rise again, and most women continue to wear the burqa out of fear for their safety” (About RAWA). In these areas violence is on the rise, seen on the streets multiply times a day. Executive Director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch reported, "human rights abuses in Afghanistan are being committed by gunmen and warlords,” which came into play after the Untied States ran off the Taliban. Many families outside of the Afghanistan’s capital refuse to send their children to school. Even the young males have fear for their lives at school. Since education is possible for females again, many schools have been burned or firebombed, resulting in an extremely low attendance rate. (now.org)
           Since 2001, when the Taliban were overthrown from leadership, life has become slightly easier for women in Afghan depending on what area they live in. Many promises, however, have not been kept by the Bush administration. To turn Afghanistan into a peaceful place for women to live happily, women all over the world are going to have to push for equal rights. The Afghan people can not do it alone, but now it is important as ever that the women of Afghan stay strong and stand up for the basic human rights each of them deserve.


Bib page
Books
Logan , Harriet. Unveiled . New York: Harpercollins Publishers INC, 2002. 101. Print.
Skaine , Rosemarie. The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2002. 147. Print.
Web
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I. The Taliban's War Against Women." U.S. Department of State. 17 Nov. 2001. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/6185.htm.
"Campaign for Afghan Women & Girls - Taliban & Women - Feminist Majority Foundation." Feminist Majority Foundation - Breaking News, Feminism from Affirmative Action to Sexual Harassment to Women's Sports. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. http://feminist.org/afghan/taliban_women.asp.
"THE SITUATION OF WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. .
"The Health Care Crisis Facing Women Under Taliban Rule in Afghanistan." American University Washington College of Law. Web. 06 Feb. 2012. .
"About RAWA..." Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA). Web. 24 Feb. 2012. .