“I was going to graduate soon. Now I am locked inside my own house,” these were the exact words of an Afghan female student in an interview she had given to The quint. The panic and frustration of women around there are visible.
In just a blink of an eye, many such lives got destroyed completely. All the working women of Afghanistan are now hidden somewhere in their homes, trying to pray for their lives.
All because working outside is believed to be an undeniable offence for women under the Taliban law.
Even before Talibanthe captured significant cities of Afghanistan, it was known for threatening women for working outside.
Ayeda Shadab, an influencer and businesswoman from Afghanistan, came out a while back to share how she has repeatedly received death threats from Talibanthe.
Thay brave girl is known for breaking stereotypes, and at one point, she even had more followers on social media platforms than the president itself. However, all her accounts seem to be disabled right now.
It is indeed a significant matter of concern to think about what will happen to such women now. Will the Taliban let them survive in Afghanistan?
If they have genuinely changed as per their claims, this might become a reality. However, all the women there will still be required to follow a certain number of rules, which are:
1) Women should not be seen outside without a male companion or a burqa/hijab.
2) Since no man should hear a woman’s footsteps, high heeled footwear is banned under the Taliban rule.
3) A woman’s voice should not be heard by a stranger when she is speaking loudly in public.
4) To prevent a woman from being seen through the streets, all the windows on the ground and first floor should be painted or covered by a screen.
5) Women can’t stand on the balcony.
6) Women are prohibited from having their pictures taken and being displayed at public places or home.
7) The word ‘women’ will be removed from any places name.
8) Women can be stoned to death, is accused of adultery.
9) no girl child should take formal education.
Easy right? Wear a burqa and stay inside, and you might be allowed to live in Afghanistan. To some people, this does seem doable as long as they are safe with their families.
But the reality is strangely different. The world outside may look safe with a burqa around, but the real tragedy can strike them inside their own homes.
What happens to them beyond that point is vastly unimaginable. As per some claims, many women have been captured, sold and forced to marry men in the army.
They are asked to serve the men as per their wishes, and when that arrangement ends, she is sold again. This involves many under-aged girls as well.
So yes! The biggest tragedy this world has ever seen isn’t the war in Afghanistan; it’s precisely what might happen to the women like you and me there.
They will soon be deprived of their fundamental rights, and this world won’t be able to help them. Because all of us are scared, what if they will invade our homes, too?
