Tarz Press: The International Day of the Girl, celebrated annually on October 11, is a day to honor the achievements and potential of girls worldwide. It provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of girls’ rights and their capacity to build a better future. However, in Afghanistan, this day has become a symbol of pain and oppression— a reminder of one of the darkest periods in the country’s modern history, where under Taliban rule, girls have been stripped of their most basic rights.
The Dire Situation of Girls in Afghanistan
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the situation for Afghan girls has deteriorated at an unprecedented rate. The Taliban, through the imposition of strict, misogynistic laws, have marginalized girls and women, depriving them of their fundamental rights, including education, employment, and participation in public life. What has been imposed on Afghan girls is more than just legal restrictions; it is a direct assault on their dreams, abilities, and humanity.
1. Denial of Education – The Severance of a Generation’s Future
From the earliest days of the Taliban’s return, repressive policies targeted girls’ education. Schools for girls above sixth grade were shut down, abruptly ending the dreams of millions of girls aspiring for an education and a better future. While other countries celebrate the Day of the Girl as a symbol of educational achievement, Afghan girls are deprived of their most basic right—the right to education. This deprivation is not just a loss of reading and writing skills but a humanitarian disaster that will cast the entire country into darkness. Every girl denied an education is a brick removed from the foundation of Afghanistan’s progress and development.
2. Rise in Forced Marriages – Trading Girls’ Futures
With the closure of schools and universities for girls, the pressure on families to arrange early marriages for their daughters has increased. Many families, driven by economic or social pressures, are forced to marry off their daughters at a young age. These marriages, largely a result of poverty and the Taliban’s imposed policies, condemn girls to lives filled with violence, injustice, and the loss of any hope for the future. The Taliban have not only robbed girls of their opportunities for education and advancement but have reduced their lives to a transaction between poverty and oppression.
3. Escalating Violence and Suppression Against Women
Through their misogynistic policies, the Taliban have turned the social landscape for girls and women into an unrelenting nightmare. Girls are deprived of their right to participate in society, work, and even move freely. Severe restrictions on education and employment are only a part of this repression; Taliban-imposed restrictions on girls’ mobility and social interactions have effectively erased them from public life. Afghan girls are now confined to their homes, facing the constant fear of violence and arrest when they step outside.
4. The Destruction of Dreams and Hope for the Future
Taliban policies have not only stripped girls of their rights and freedoms, but they have also stolen their dreams and hope for a better future. Girls who once fought for education and careers are now trapped in their homes, watching their lives and aspirations crumble before their eyes. This deprivation is a direct assault on their humanity and dignity. Taliban policies are not just derailing the present generation but also leading future generations of Afghanistan down a hopeless path.
Critique:
The Taliban’s policies toward Afghan women and girls go beyond physical and emotional repression; they constitute a blatant violation of human rights and international law. The Taliban’s actions not only contradict international human rights conventions, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, but are also indefensible from a moral and humanitarian perspective.
a) Violation of International Law
By implementing their misogynistic policies, the Taliban have deliberately disregarded international conventions. They have deprived Afghan girls of their fundamental rights and have trampled on all principles of human rights.
b) Social and Economic Consequences
Depriving women and girls of education and participation in society will have devastating effects on Afghanistan’s social and economic development. No country can achieve progress and stability by oppressing half of its population. Taliban policies are pushing the country further into poverty and backwardness.
c) Violation of Human Dignity
Through their policies, the Taliban have directly targeted the human dignity of Afghan girls and women. They are attempting to turn girls into silent, rightless, and voiceless beings. This crime against humanity must not go unnoticed by the world.
Conclusion:
The International Day of the Girl is meant to celebrate the rights, potential, and hopes of girls worldwide. But in Afghanistan, this day has become a symbol of suffering and deprivation for girls who are denied even their most basic rights under Taliban rule. The Taliban’s policies threaten not only the future of Afghan girls but the future of the entire country. The international community must not remain silent in the face of this atrocity. Every effort must be made to restore the rights and freedoms of Afghan girls, for every girl deserves the chance to build a bright future.
