Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the imposition of restrictions placed upon women in Afghanistan. In a recent report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted that Afghan women have been deprived of their fundamental rights to education, employment, and social participation ever since the Taliban took power. “Over the past two years, Taliban authorities have denied women and girls their rights to education, work, movement, and assembly. The Taliban have imposed extensive censorship on the media and access to information, and increased detentions of journalists and other critics,” the report says. Based on a report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), over 80 per cent of female journalists in Afghanistan have been forced to leave their job since the Taliban took control of power in August 2021.
The report further reveals that out of the approximately 12,000 male and female journalists active in Afghanistan during 2021, more than two-thirds have been compelled to abandon their profession, resulting in a distress deterioration of the media landscape over the past two years.
Since the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan, they imposed several decrees that restricted women at home and deprived them of their fundamental rights to education, employment and public space.
In a recent announcement, the group has taken the controversial step of prohibiting the operation of women’s beauty salons, which comes amid a severe humanitarian crisis within the country. According to a report, the closure of these beauty salons has resulted in a significant loss of livelihood for over 60,000 women.
However, the road ahead for women’s participation is fraught with numerous challenges in the country. The Taliban’s stance on reopening schools and universities and providing employment opportunities for women remains uncertain and has not been addressed. —PR
