Women and girls around the globe are continuously subjected to violence, a problem that is often overlooked or not reported. Aggressions of physical, sexual, and psychological nature are rampant, contributing to what many advocates consider a worldwide assault on women’s rights.
This issue is glaringly evident in Afghanistan where the Taliban has not only stripped women of their public presence but also significantly curtailed their basic rights. Afghanistan, under the extremist group’s rule, has the unfortunate distinction of being the only country where teenage girls are forbidden to attend school.
“My dream was to become a doctor and serve my nation,” shared Marzieh, a teenage Afghan girl, with RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi. “I pursued studies for nine years, but it all seems in vain. Now, I am confined to my home.”
Despite the Taliban’s seizure of power in 2021, it has yet to be officially recognized by any country. However, a rising number of nations, including those in the West, have started to cooperate with its government on trade, security, and immigration matters.
“If global leaders can witness the atrocities committed against women and girls by the Taliban, shrug it off, and instead focus on collaborating with them on other matters, it’s a damning indictment of how little they value women’s and girls’ rights,” pointed out Heather Barr, the Associate Women’s Rights Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Under the Taliban’s oppressive rule, rates of forced, early, and child marriages have skyrocketed. The United Nations reports that child marriages have risen by nearly 25% in the past three years in Afghanistan. Rights groups attribute this significant increase to a crippling economic and humanitarian crisis, as well as a lack of educational and career opportunities for women.
“I was married at 14, and by the time I was 15, I had my first child, a daughter. The struggle was immense. I never thought I would pull through. It was an extremely trying period for me,” revealed Shazia, a child bride, to Radio Azadi.
‘Freedom To Choose’
In neighboring Iran, women face numerous restrictions. They are denied access to various fields of study, sporting events and cannot obtain a passport or travel abroad without their husband’s approval. Violating the country’s Islamic dress code can lead to fines and imprisonment for up to ten years.
A growing number of Iranian women have defied the country’s clerical establishment by refusing to wear the mandatory hijab, or Islamic headscarf. “This piece of cloth symbolizes a right that has been snatched from us. It represents the freedom to choose what I want to wear,” voiced a 20-year-old woman in Iran to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.
Political Will
Even in countries where women have no restrictions on their appearance, freedom of movement, and right to work or study, gender-based violence is widespread. The UN estimated in 2023 that a woman was killed every 10 minutes by her partner or family member. Almost one in three women experiences violence at least once in her lifetime, according to the world body.
Addressing gender-based violence is not an unsolvable mystery. It simply requires genuine commitment from governments to uphold women’s and girls’ rights and the allocation of necessary resources, systems, and expertise. “These are not insurmountable problems. They just require that governments be genuinely committed to upholding women’s and girls’ rights and that they deploy the necessary resources, systems, and expertise,” affirmed Barr of HRW.
