The Taliban's Latest Decree to Silence Women and Where Are the Men in the Protests?
In September 2024, the Taliban government in Afghanistan issued a new decree aimed at further restricting the rights and freedoms of Afghan women: the literal silencing of women in public life. The law bans them from speaking in public forums or engaging in media activities, serving yet another blow to women's rights in a country where progress has already been severely rolled back since the Taliban regained control in August 2021. While the Taliban have long been associated with oppressive policies towards women, this decree represents a disturbing escalation in their attempts to erase women from public life altogether.
The Taliban's misogynistic policies are not new. When they first ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, they implemented a strict interpretation of Sharia law that severely curtailed the rights of women and girls. Women were barred from education, employment, and even leaving their homes without a male guardian. The fall of the Taliban in 2001 allowed for a brief period of progress, during which Afghan women regained access to education, employment, and political representation. However, since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, these gains have been systematically dismantled.
(Photo by Jake Simkin)
The recent decree to silence women in public life is rooted in the Taliban's profoundly conservative interpretation of Islamic law, which sees women as subordinate to men and considers their voices and presence in public as potentially harmful to society. The Taliban justify these policies under the guise of protecting women's "modesty" and "honor." Still, these restrictions consolidate their control over Afghan society and suppress any potential challenges to their authority.
Enforcement will likely come in the form of direct threats and violence against women who defy the decree. The Taliban have already shown their willingness to use force to maintain control, and women who resist these new rules may face arrest, imprisonment, or worse. Reports of beatings, harassment, and intimidation of women have been standard since the Taliban's return to power, and this pattern will only intensify under the new restrictions.
Moreover, families and communities will be forced to comply with the decree, further isolating women. Afghan society, especially in rural areas, is deeply patriarchal, and local Taliban officials often use social pressure and fear to enforce compliance. Many Afghan women will feel they have no choice but to retreat even further into private life, giving up any hope of participating in public discourse.
The psychological toll of these restrictions on Afghan women will be immense. The Taliban's policies create an environment of constant fear, where women are punished simply for existing in public spaces. The anxiety, depression, and trauma associated with these conditions will have long-lasting effects on Afghan women's mental health and well-being.
Socially, Afghan women are being pushed into a state of isolation. Their roles will be confined to the home, and they will lose the ability to engage with the broader world. This isolation will create a generation of women cut off from education, professional opportunities, and the social fabric that once supported their ambitions.
However, dozens of courageous Afghan women continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience and courage in the face of adversity. Women continue to occasionally protest, with many risking torture and abuse in detainment to do so as they take to the streets with signs chanting "food, work, freedom."
As I look back through the photographs of the protests over the last couple of years, gone are the men who once joined them in the early weeks of the Taliban reign. Granted, the punishment for men for violating Taliban law is swift and severe.
But when is enough and enough? Do you think Afghan men should join the women to speak against what is happening to them? Or is it simply not worth trying?
I would like to hear your thoughts.
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