Atrocities In Afganistan (Women)

Word Count: 1170

(NOTE TO STUDENT: my teacher gave me a B+ and said I would have had an A if I had had more detail on the Taliban's reasons for these laws)

The women of Afghanistan have been enduring unfathomable suffering since the Taliban, a religious faction, seized control of the country in 1996. (NOTE TO STUDENT: my teacher gave me a B+ and said I would have had an A if I had had more detail on the Taliban's reasons for these laws) Since 1996 Afghan women have been living fear for their safety and lives. A myriad of discriminating laws has been placed on Afghan women. The punishments for violating these laws are unimaginably inhuman.
    The Taliban is an ultra-fundamentalist group that has 90 percent of Afghanistan under its control (Taliban). When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Islamic factions united to expel the Russian occupiers from Afghanistan (Afghanistan). The new government that had formed soon collapsed from the deep-rooted ethnic and religious differences of its members (Afghanistan). The Taliban emerged victorious from the ensuing civil war to establish a reign of terror on the Afghan people (Afghanistan).
    The women of Afghanistan have ended up bearing most of the weight from the oppressive hand of the Taliban. A woman is no longer allowed to be seen in public with out wearing a cumbersome burqa, a robe that covers the entire body from head to toe with only a small mesh screen to see and breath through. “I feel like I am invisible.” Claims one woman, “Nobody knows whether I’m smiling or crying…” She then explains how hard it is to see through the mesh screen (Shanahan). There have been accounts of women being run over by tanks because they couldn’t see through their burqa (Shanahan). Not only are women not allowed in public without the burqa, they must also be accompanied by a mahram, a male relative, when outside their homes (Women). When they are inside their homes, women must have the blinds pulled or the windows painted black so others can’t see them from the street (Women). A Taliban representative explains the logic behind these laws: “The face of a woman is a source of corruption for men who are not related to them.” (Women). So what does a woman do when she needs to go outside and there is no man to accompany her? One woman was shot while running through the streets with her sick child. She was on her way to get medical help for the child (Shanahan). Another woman was beaten to death for exposing her wrist while driving (Shanahan).
    Before the Taliban took over Afghanistan the country was fairly progressive in terms of women’s rights. There were women in Parliament, medicine, law, engineering and many other creditable professions (Shanahan). The majority of teachers were women (Shanahan). Half of the civil servants and university students were women (Shanahan). It seems the Afghan society was much like our own in relation to gender equality.
    The current situation in Afghanistan contrasts the old one as black does white. Few women are permitted to work. Those who are must do so inside their homes (Stop). Girls are banned from attending school after the age of eight (Stop). A journalist speaks of girls not being allowed to leave the state orphanage building since 1996 although the boys go outside every day to attend school and play (Stop). The Taliban have severely limited women’s access to m

This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Academic Library. Please register below now!

Subscribe to Academic Library When you subscribe to the Academic Library, you get 24-hour access to the online database containing full-text articles written by thousands of scholarly students. For only $8.95 per month, you receive unlimited monthly access to view and download all of our 40,000 articles available online. That is less than the price of one textbook! This price includes: 24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week unlimited access on any computer with Internet access Complete access to all 40,000 articles, essays, and research papers Ability to view and download virtually unlimited number of documents Ability to browse through perfectly arranged catalog of articles Superior search and relevancy ranking techniques using Google SiteSearch and our local search engine Instant access to the online database after registration You can pay by credit card, checking account. You get instant access after registration: You will be billed $ 8.95 every 30 days (recurring billing) starting on the day you subscribe. Your credit card will automatically be renewed for your convenience until you cancel. If you are already registered, please click here to login.