Afghan Women and Their Horror

740 Words2 Pages

A woman’s life in Afghanistan is one of the most shocking and devastating truths. It wasn’t until September 11th 2001 that the world awoke to the relevance of women’s issues to international peace and security. However, it’s been two years since and the lives of Afghan women have improved only slightly. Harassment, violence, illiteracy, poverty and extreme repression continue to characterize reality for many afghan women.
“Under the Taliban, ultraconservative Islamic ideas combined with misogynistic and patriarchal tribal culture resulted in numerous edicts aimed at the control and subjugation of Afghan women” (Womenwarpeace.org). Women were denied all rights both civil and political. They were denied the right to free assembly, freedom of movement and the right to personal security.
According to a March 2003 International Crisis Group report, the civil war created by the Taliban produced 50,000 widows in Kabul alone. They were denied employment and as a result many had to result to begging in order to provide for their families. Their economic burden continued to increased as they became responsible for their family’s security and income, a situation complicated by the fact that women had limited economic and educational opportunities. It made women very vulnerable to exploitative situations such as prostitution, indentured servitude and drug trafficking to support themselves and their...

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