Oppressed, Inferior, and Unequal
We all know that women’s rights are a big struggle in Afghanistan. It was worse when Afghanistan was under the Taliban rule. These women were treated unfairly, beaten for the slightest wrong move, raped, and thrown out like trash. Some women are putting up a fight and really trying to get their freedom. Unfortunately, the Afghanistan society and the way things were being ran before the Taliban fell are keeping these women from achieving the goal they want, and that is to have equal human rights.
These customs that women have been forced into came about because of their religious values. Sex before marriage was considered unholy, and no man wanted a woman who wasn’t a virgin. In Armstrong’s article, “A Rights Revolution,” she mentions that women were raped to dishonor a tribe. Nahida Hassan, a 13-year-old girl became a symbol for girls and women who were being raped during the two decade war. A commander and some of his troops busted into Nahida’s house, gunning down her family. Nahida understood she was the target. To avoid being sexually savaged, she jumped from her sixth floor window to her death. Women were always seen as items and not human beings. Daughters were used to settle scores – if someone is killed in the midst of a dispute, the killer’s family gives a girl child to the victim’s family to make amends. The Taliban caused mass distress for women in Afghanistan, even more than what their society was already causing. The women being treated as less than an equals. Women are not allowed to be seen on TV, or heard on any type of broadcasting stations. They aren’t even allowed to dress how they want. Women and young girls are forced to cover every inch of their bodies and beaten if you could see the flesh of their ankles. Baker quotes the president Hamid Karzi in the article, “Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban,” “What is more important, protecting the right of a girl going to school or saving her life?” The president was also living in fear of the Taliban. Karzi was saying that he would rather not allow women education than risk their lives to the Taliban. Afghan women are also forced into marriages. This left a lot of women homeless because they would rather live on the streets than under the same roof as someone they don’t love and who is constantly beating them. In Jone’s article, “Letter From Afghanistan,” she talks about the homeless being rescued and their lifestyles in the shelters. Jones also states, “The UN High Commission for Refugee’s investigator found evidence of beatings by guards, fights with other women, self-mutilation, repeated suicide attempts, and profound physiological disturbance.” These women were “rescued,” but can never escape the mental and physical damage their culture has caused them. Unfortunately, we cannot make all of these women do this. Some women still live in fear; since there are still Taliban memebers living amongst them. They fear that they will be executed for everyone to see, just as they witnessed other women being executed. Therefore, these women are afraid to fight for their rights, and they will continue to live in forced marriages, cover their bodies, and only speak when they are spoken to. They do this avoid violate confrontation. According to Oosterom, in her article, “Women’s Rights Battleground,” “Queen Soraya (November 24, 1899 – April 20, 1968) set a precedent in the Muslim world by appearing next to her husband in public without a veil. Queen Soraya also founded a women’s magazine that advocated gender equality, and sent a young women abroad …show more content…
Some of these women continue to live in fear of the Taliban and societal pressure. They continue to follow their customs in fear that it may once again surface. They don’t want to be punished for “betraying” their culture. This is where things get difficult. In order for this to work and for these women to get their rights where they belong all women and girls need to be encouraged and supported by society to take part in the transition, becoming actively involved in all of the movements and speaking up about what they believe
We all know that women’s rights are a big struggle in Afghanistan. It was worse when Afghanistan was under the Taliban rule. These women were treated unfairly, beaten for the slightest wrong move, raped, and thrown out like trash. Some women are putting up a fight and really trying to get their freedom. Unfortunately, the Afghanistan society and the way things were being ran before the Taliban fell are keeping these women from achieving the goal they want, and that is to have equal human rights.
These customs that women have been forced into came about because of their religious values. Sex before marriage was considered unholy, and no man wanted a woman who wasn’t a virgin. In Armstrong’s article, “A Rights Revolution,” she mentions that women were raped to dishonor a tribe. Nahida Hassan, a 13-year-old girl became a symbol for girls and women who were being raped during the two decade war. A commander and some of his troops busted into Nahida’s house, gunning down her family. Nahida understood she was the target. To avoid being sexually savaged, she jumped from her sixth floor window to her death. Women were always seen as items and not human beings. Daughters were used to settle scores – if someone is killed in the midst of a dispute, the killer’s family gives a girl child to the victim’s family to make amends. The Taliban caused mass distress for women in Afghanistan, even more than what their society was already causing. The women being treated as less than an equals. Women are not allowed to be seen on TV, or heard on any type of broadcasting stations. They aren’t even allowed to dress how they want. Women and young girls are forced to cover every inch of their bodies and beaten if you could see the flesh of their ankles. Baker quotes the president Hamid Karzi in the article, “Afghan Women and the Return of the Taliban,” “What is more important, protecting the right of a girl going to school or saving her life?” The president was also living in fear of the Taliban. Karzi was saying that he would rather not allow women education than risk their lives to the Taliban. Afghan women are also forced into marriages. This left a lot of women homeless because they would rather live on the streets than under the same roof as someone they don’t love and who is constantly beating them. In Jone’s article, “Letter From Afghanistan,” she talks about the homeless being rescued and their lifestyles in the shelters. Jones also states, “The UN High Commission for Refugee’s investigator found evidence of beatings by guards, fights with other women, self-mutilation, repeated suicide attempts, and profound physiological disturbance.” These women were “rescued,” but can never escape the mental and physical damage their culture has caused them. Unfortunately, we cannot make all of these women do this. Some women still live in fear; since there are still Taliban memebers living amongst them. They fear that they will be executed for everyone to see, just as they witnessed other women being executed. Therefore, these women are afraid to fight for their rights, and they will continue to live in forced marriages, cover their bodies, and only speak when they are spoken to. They do this avoid violate confrontation. According to Oosterom, in her article, “Women’s Rights Battleground,” “Queen Soraya (November 24, 1899 – April 20, 1968) set a precedent in the Muslim world by appearing next to her husband in public without a veil. Queen Soraya also founded a women’s magazine that advocated gender equality, and sent a young women abroad …show more content…
Some of these women continue to live in fear of the Taliban and societal pressure. They continue to follow their customs in fear that it may once again surface. They don’t want to be punished for “betraying” their culture. This is where things get difficult. In order for this to work and for these women to get their rights where they belong all women and girls need to be encouraged and supported by society to take part in the transition, becoming actively involved in all of the movements and speaking up about what they believe