CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
By Judith Ashton
Where in the world are women banned from public places and denied basic rights like going to the playground with their children? Answer: Afghanistan!
Some time ago, Brian Redmond invited me to speak on KCLR Radio on any topic that interested me. I could have chosen many things, but I had been deeply shocked reading about women in Afghanistan and how they are being systematically erased from public life.
The Taliban impose the most severe institutionalised discrimination imaginable against all females. They have passed laws to combat “immoral behaviour and to promote virtue”. These far-reaching laws cover every aspect of women’s lives: harsh restrictions on education, dress code, public outings, healthcare, reproduction, marriage and more.
Girls are banned from secondary education or university and are allowed only to go to primary school. Professional training is impossible and marriage is forced upon them.
Child marriage is legal in Afghanistan. There is no minimum age restriction. Girls as young as 8 can be forcibly married. The law says that children married to abusive husbands can go to court at puberty; however, there is no legal age for puberty. I read of a 15-year-old with two children.
A law passed in 2026 allows husbands to beat their wives. Girls and women can only go to court if a bone is broken or they have open wounds. The penalty for the abuser is 15 days in prison, then he is back home. If a woman visits her family without her husband’s permission, both she and her family can be jailed for up to three months.
Women have no access to social media. Possessing computers or phones would lead to jail. Many women are in prison for “moral crimes”, e.g. contravention of dress code, falling in love, speaking out or trying to protest. All protests are quickly quelled, often with fire hoses; protesters are rounded up and often simply disappear.
Women’s access to healthcare is severely restricted, including dentistry, midwifery services and contraception. Even women with as many as ten children are denied contraception, even if another pregnancy could be life-threatening. With very few female medical professionals remaining and without access to training, their numbers are falling. Many women are reluctant to be examined by men and, in many cases, men are not permitted to examine women. It is a women’s healthcare crisis.
In terms of dress, women and girls are forced to wear burqas made of thick material, making it very hot and difficult to breathe. The only visible part of the body is a woman’s eyes; she is not allowed to look at a man she is not either married to or a blood relative. Not a stray hair is tolerated.
Women are barred from gyms and sports. Female athletes who escaped live in exile. Since July 2023, beauty salons have all closed, removing one of the few spaces where women socialised, cared for themselves or earned a living. Now they stay indoors.
Women are forbidden to speak outside their houses or in public because female voices are considered intimate. Singing, reading aloud or reciting poetry in public is an offence.
Music is seen as immoral, a cause of moral corruption. Performing, broadcasting or listening to music is criminalised. Taliban forces routinely seize musical instruments from homes or venues, e.g. harmoniums, tablas and guitars, and burn them on public bonfires. It is impossible to be a professional musician or singer. This has been called “cultural genocide and musical vandalism”. Artistic freedom of expression is strictly banned.
Restrictions and limitations increase with astonishing regularity. Women have no right to a seat in a taxi; they travel in the boot. If women need to go out, they must be accompanied by a male relative or their spouse. Men need to work, so arrangements can be difficult.
Do Afghan men support their women? They too can be uneducated or afraid to speak and many agree with the laws.
Many of these laws are strict interpretations of Islamic teachings which the Taliban claim are divine commands. Some high-ranking Taliban have recently been invited to Brussels for EU meetings. They will not be there to discuss women’s rights but to talk about deportations. Inviting them legitimises them and generates prestige for them.
“Grave, systematic and institutionalised discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule. It’s gender apartheid.” Richard Bennet, the Human Rights Council.
On July 1st Ireland gets the EU presidency and our government has a moral obligation to raise this issue. Don’t let us forget our sisters, Afghanistani women and girls, who live with little hope and broken dreams. I am eternally grateful for my freedom and don’t take anything for granted.
