Disappearing Afghan Women from Public Spaces — Collapse of Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Abstract

The present paper attempts to understand the plight of Afghan women under complete absence of women’s rights. Beginning with a brief sketch of the historical past of the Afghan women prior to 9/11, this paper attempts to document their journey through the post-Bonn period including the present situation under the new Taliban regime. The paper is based on secondary sources of information and narratives mainly from media reports. It addresses the situational of women in Afghanistan and how they are positioned in the public spheres, while their basic rights are gradually getting eroded. It is ironical that when the world is looking forward to ushering in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) particularly the SDG-5, a part of the world completely ignores Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality! The purpose of the paper is to highlight the gradual depletion and severe disruption of women’s rights in Afghanistan and understanding the socioeconomic implications of the Taliban policies. Restrictions on women's education, participation in the workforce and closure of women’s public spaces are all gradually coming into force. The paper suggests a few policy recommendations so that the young Afghan girls and women could continue with their education and skill development training and obtain a livelihood option.