Taliban two years on: How they destroyed women's right in Afghanistan

Evening Standard

Aid organisations have urged the UK not to “abandon” Afghanistan as Western allies mark two years since the Taliban retook Kabul.The Taliban, in a lightning offensive across the country, returned to power in Afghanistan on August 15 2021 as Western forces, including Britain and the US, hurriedly made their withdrawal after a 20-year occupation.Operation Pitting was the largest evacuation effort Britain has been involved in since the Second World War, with more than 15,000 people taken from Afghanistan to the UK in just over 16 days in August 2021.Bond, an umbrella body in the UK representing international development organisations, said the Afghan people had been living “in a waking nightmare” since the return of the fundamentalist Taliban regime.

Transcript

00:00 Today marks two years since the Taliban seized back control in Afghanistan.

00:07 On 15 August 2021, militants captured the capital of Kabul and took over the presidential

00:13 palace. Twenty years of foreign occupation was brought to an end.

00:19 Afghan officials fled, including President Attaf Ghani, and thousands rushed to Kabul

00:24 airport, desperately trying to find space on flights leaving the country.

00:29 And for those who stayed behind, what has life been like since the takeover? And what

00:34 does the future hold?

00:36 It's time for American troops to come home.

00:39 Gunfire rings through the streets of Herat.

00:42 Taliban fighters have reached the Afghan capital, Kabul.

00:45 I did not, nor did anyone else, see a collapse of an army that size in 11 days.

00:49 The Taliban's latest crackdown on their rights and freedoms.

00:53 A mix of sanctions, drought and terrorism has brought Afghanistan once again to the

00:58 brink of collapse.

01:00 Despite the Taliban's promises of moderation, the last two years have seen a crackdown on

01:05 freedom of expression and women's access to human rights.

01:09 Everyone is expected to fit into the ideological mould of the Taliban. They're intolerant of

01:15 difference in philosophical, religious or political views. They're also somewhat intolerant

01:23 of minority groups, whether they are ethnic or religious. And in terms of dissent, dissent

01:35 is not allowed at all. It's not possible to peacefully protest or to express a differing

01:43 view through the media. That is cracked down on, often with violence or arbitrary detention.

01:51 Women in particular have seen their rights and freedoms severely limited. Within a month

01:55 of the Taliban takeover, the Ministry of Women's Affairs had disappeared. Its building was

02:00 handed over to the newly reformed Moral Police, known to enforce rules through public beatings

02:06 and imprisonment.

02:11 Many women have led protests, but they've been harshly suppressed and new restrictions

02:19 continue to be introduced.

02:21 For the past two years, women in the country have faced profound limitations and restrictions

02:27 from being banned from going to school over the age of 11, women being banned from going

02:31 to university, restricted from travelling alone with our male chaperone, accessing public

02:39 spaces like gyms and parks. Sometimes women inside the country tell me that we're treated

02:44 less or worse than animals. We've been imprisoned in our homes, told where to go, who to speak

02:51 to, what to eat, how to dress. So it is literally hell on earth for these women.

02:58 The country is also in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis. Following the takeover,

03:05 many countries suspended aid and imposed sanctions. The US blocked the Taliban from accessing

03:11 billions of dollars in assets. The UN has estimated that 34 million Afghans are living

03:17 below the poverty line, roughly 85% of the population.

03:23 The economy hasn't entirely collapsed. The Treasury has been able to produce a budget

03:28 and raise revenues, and imports and exports have gradually increased during the past two

03:33 years. But revenue generation still produces barely a third of what's required. And the

03:39 regime is beginning to face other challenges.

03:43 Taliban are facing three severe tests, and these can impact their survival in coming

03:48 years. First and foremost is the threat from ISK or Daesh, the Islamic State of Khurasan.

03:54 They are the new disruptive force. They are the ones who are threatening minorities, the

04:00 Sufis, the Shias, the way Taliban used to do at one time. So that's the biggest threat

04:05 because that is ideological. And that can hit Taliban where it really hurts.

04:10 Second is the internal divisions between Kandahar and Kabul. Kandahar remains very dogmatic,

04:17 very isolated. Bigotry is the name of the game. And the other part is Kabul, which wants

04:23 to work with the world, which wants to engage with the regional countries. Pragmatic Kabul

04:27 versus orthodox isolationist Kandahar. That is a second threat to the feasibility of the

04:34 whole idea of Taliban. And last but not the least is the economic crisis.

04:39 The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has caused international debate over the continued

04:44 boycott of the regime. Many have advised against engagement with the Taliban whilst women's

04:50 rights continue to be restricted. Others believe this will push the country into further poverty

04:56 and instability. After initially suspending operations, aid organisations like Save the

05:02 Children returned to the country earlier this year. What all experts agree on is that Afghanistan

05:07 cannot be forgotten about.

05:10 Afghanistan should be kept in the spotlight, not just kept. It should be placed much more

05:17 in the spotlight and be given much more attention by the international community. Many Afghans

05:24 felt that they were abandoned, who felt let down and who are still fighting for a return

05:32 to more of a democratic system, one which rights are respected.

05:38 For now, the Taliban's power in Afghanistan appears secure. But as debates continue over

05:43 international response, many Afghans are seeing their freedom and livelihoods slipping away.

05:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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