Afghan women stage protests in Kabul over concerns on female employment

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August last year, restrictions on the basic rights of women have become a global concern as a result of which a group of women staged a protest in Kabul to express their concerns about the continued effective ban on female students over 6th grade and on female employment, TOLONews reported.

The women protesters called on the Taliban to work for women and to allow girls above grade six to learn as the organization's rule has only added to the poverty in the country.

"We call on the United Nations and the international community to pay attention to us and save women from these violations of their rights," said Marghalare, a former employee of the Ministry of Interior.

Due to a lack of employment and Taliban atrocities women in Afghanistan have become tragic sufferers as there are limitations on education. The women protesters held a protest and showed their educational documents as a sign of protest, and asked the government for jobs and education.

"The document that we have in our hands is useless because all of us are at home and do not have any jobs," said Shokorya, a protester, TOLOnews reported.

After the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, they immediately began rolling back the rights of women and girls. Women began to protest on the streets since Taliban's first week in power, despite the grave risks they faced in doing so.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Taliban response was brutal from the beginning, beating protesters, disrupting protests, and detaining and torturing journalists covering the demonstrations. The Taliban also banned unauthorized protests. Over time, the Taliban's abusive responses escalated, with a particularly brutal response to a protest on January 16 in Kabul, when Taliban members threatened, intimidated, and physically assaulted protesters, using pepper spray and electric shock devices.

Notably, the situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power in August last year.

Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated, especially against women and minorities. Besides this, the continuously soaring prices of food products in the country have emerged as a new challenge for Afghans. In a span of one year, food prices have almost doubled, reported Khaama Press.