According to a report from the US Institute of Peace (USIP), more than 70 restrictive orders have been issued against women and girls in Afghanistan. Since coming into power on August 15, 2021, the Islamic Emirate has issued various orders restricting the rights of women and girls. These include bans on attending school for female students after sixth grade and on attending universities for women. Additionally, bans have been imposed on working for non-governmental organizations for women, and they are not allowed to participate in United Nations agencies, parks, and sports events. Other restrictions include not traveling without a male companion, covering their faces in the media, and working in beauty salons.
About a month after the Islamic Emirate came to power, on September 7, 2021, the announcement of the caretaker cabinet members of the Islamic Emirate was made, and this cabinet had no women members.
According to United Nations data, in the solar year 1400, there were 27% women in the representative assembly and one-fifth of former government employees were women. However, after the formation of the new government’s cabinet, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs was dissolved, and women were also barred from working in government offices by verbal orders from the leaders of the Islamic Emirate.
When the Ministry of Women’s Affairs was dissolved, a protester stated, “The Ministry of Women’s Affairs represents Afghan women. We oppose changing this ministry into one of virtue and vice.”
According to a report from the US Institute of Peace (USIP), more than 70 restrictive orders have been issued against women and girls in Afghanistan. On December 24, 2022, women were banned from working for foreign non-governmental organizations.
On September 17, 2022, former government officials working for the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs (MoHIA) were allowed to leave. On May 19, 2022, female presenters were instructed to cover their faces during demonstrations.
On October 28, 2022, female positions in the media regulatory commission were removed, and the issuance of driving permits for women and girls was halted.
On November 10, 2022, a directive was issued to ban women from parks and sports halls.
Not all issued orders were against women, but the orders were also for the benefit of women,” stated the spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, adding that comments were made on women’s inheritance, ownership, and other issues to prevent violence against women.
The ban on women’s beauty salons, which had a one-month time limit for closure, ended on July 25, 2023. Reports indicate that over 12,000 women’s beauty salons have closed across the country, resulting in more than 50,000 employees losing their jobs due to orders from the leaders of the Islamic Emirate.
The owner of a women’s beauty salon, Homa, said, “Today, they have taken away our livelihoods and our work. We are very distressed.”
Sadaf, another owner of a women’s beauty salon, said, “I have invested nearly 400,000 Afghanis in my beauty salon. I am the breadwinner for my family of twelve.”
The prohibitory orders against women sparked reactions both within and outside Afghanistan. After the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, the country saw its first march for women’s rights to work and education. Many participants in the march also demanded inclusion in the caretaker government.
Over the course of these two years, the Islamic Emirate issued orders, and in response, women protested in various provinces, including Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Takhar, and Nimroz, taking to the streets. Some women have been arrested as a result of these protests.
Medina, along with her two young children, was apprehended the previous night and swiftly moved to an undisclosed destination by authorities. This is worrying. We don’t know how long these girls will be in Taliban custody,” said women’s rights activist Navida Khurasani.
The world couldn’t remain silent on the issue of Afghan women, and discussions on human rights issues in Afghanistan were held. On January 25, 2022, at the Oslo Summit, female representatives penned a letter highlighting the requests of Afghan women to the Islamic Emirate delegation and representatives from other countries.
The United Nations Security Council on April 27, 2023, unanimously condemned the ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and called on leaders of the Islamic Emirate to “reverse course rapidly” on women’s and girls’ rights. A proposal prepared by the United Arab Emirates and Japan called the ban “unprecedented in United Nations history,” emphasized the “indispensable role of women in Afghan society,” and stated that the ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations “weakens human rights and human principles.”
UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh stated that “over 90 countries, from Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors, the Muslim world, and all corners of the globe” endorsed the proposal.