Women In Afghanistan Essay

One of the World’s worst countries for women’s rights is Afghanistan. Almost every woman in Afghanistan is hidden or isolated from the outside world. Afghanistan is a very patriarchal society, where all the major organizations are controlled solely by men. After the Taliban 's rise to power, women and girls were systematically discriminated against and their human rights were violated. This resulted in the deteriorating economic and social conditions of women and girls in all areas of the country, in particular in areas directly under Taliban control. Women and girls continued to be severely restricted in their access to health care facilities, employment, and education. Through the years, women have been fighting to integrate these organizations

Poor health conditions and malnutrition made pregnancy and childbirth exceptionally dangerous for Afghan women. It is not uncommon for young girls to be admitted to hospitals shortly after marriage. Usually, they are admitted in a state of shock from some sort of serious physical injuries, including tearing or extensive bleeding. Young wives also have extremely low status within the family, and are five times more likely to be abused by their husbands. In custody cases, children will usually be awarded to the father or grandfather. Therefore, divorce, even in extreme abuse cases, is not likely to be pursued. The government recently changed the legal age for marriage from sixteen to seventeen. Men who want to marry girls under the legal age are not entitled to obtain a marriage certificate, although many men simply do not bother with officially registering their marriages anyways. However, it seems that fewer girls are getting married, which is good considering young married girls do not continue their education and often remain illiterate for the rest of their

Women could travel only when accompanied by a male relative, which put a particular strain on any type of female employment. In May 2001, a decree was issued by the Taliban, banning women from driving cars, which further limited their activities. The resulting seclusion of women to the home constituted a form of solitary confinement and also created obstacles to women meeting with each other. Women were harassed and beaten by the Taliban if their public appearance was perceived to be in contradiction with Taliban edicts. Women 's removal from the public space also meant that women could not play any role in the political process and were excluded from all forms of formal or informal governance. Afghan women suffered domestic and other types of violence for the past 25 years, not just under the Taliban regime. The ban on women 's employment also affected boys ' education, as the majority of teachers had been