Women’s rights in Afghanistan have a long and tumultuous history.

For much of the 20th century, Afghanistan was a patriarchal society where women were often treated as second-class citizens and had few legal protections. Although it had slowly gotten better, the situation has now set women’s rights in the country back by decades.

Outdated infringements on women’s rights are now once again at the forefront of international scrutiny because of the Taliban’s recent and rapid rise to power.

Few countries in modern history enforce such heavy systematic repression and discrimination of their women as Afghanistan is doing to their citizens today – and it has only worsened with time.

August 2021 marked the retreat of the US foreign troops from Afghan soil.

The retreat catastrophically ended a 20-year-long war with the Taliban immediately occupying the power vacuum that the US left behind, defeating the pro-West government of President Ashraf Ghani in a blaze of destruction.

Since then, the ruling government has enacted multiple blanket policies that have proven to be damaging to the rights of women and girls. These policies include implementing full body covering, preventing women from traveling without a male escort, and preventing women and children from going to school entirely.

Protecting Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Here at [name], we strongly condemn the situation of women’s rights in Afghanistan and call for immediate and impactful international intervention.

Women and children in Afghanistan have undisputed and unalienable rights to safety, education, health, and every other right that their male counterparts enjoy. For years, they have played a pivotal role in every aspect of the country, from politics to the economy, to the home, and even beyond.

We call on the Afghan government to ensure these basic human rights and to end the discrimination and repression of their citizenry. We urge them to uphold the long-fought and hard-won rights of women and girls and to protect the safety and dignity thereof.

To third parties and international organizations, we urge their active participation for the benefit of the oppressed.

It is unacceptable and deeply disturbing that women in Afghanistan continue to face widespread violations of their human rights in this day and age.

These violations of women’s rights are not only a grave injustice in and of themselves, but they also have far-reaching and destructive consequences for Afghan society as a whole.

It is, therefore, imperative that the international community, as well as the current Afghan government and civil society, take decisive action to address these issues and work to ensure that women in Afghanistan can continue moving forward in their rights.

We strongly believe that it is our moral obligation to stand in solidarity with women and girls in Afghanistan, as well as do everything in our power to bring an end to the suffering and oppression they endure.