Afghanistan's Plight Under Taliban Rule: A Year Of Challenges And Uncertainty

Two years after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the country is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The Taliban have imposed a series of restrictions on women and girls, barring them from public life and education. The group has also cracked down on freedom of expression and the press, with journalists facing enforced disappearance, unlawful detention, arbitrary arrest, torture, and other ill-treatment. The economy is struggling, with most Afghans living in poverty and facing food insecurity. The healthcare system is dependent on international aid and remains fragile. The Taliban face no significant opposition and have maintained control through internal unity and crackdowns on armed groups.

Women's rights

During their first rule, women who violated the Taliban's rules were punished with imprisonment, torture, or even death. They were often publicly flogged or executed, and girls were almost completely prohibited from receiving an education. The Taliban also carried out public executions of women accused of adultery and chopped off the hands of thieves. As a result, the treatment of women by the Taliban has been referred to as "gender apartheid" by the United Nations.

After being ousted from power in 2001, the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Since then, women and girls have again been banned from attending secondary school, working, appearing on TV, or even going to a park. They have also been prohibited from travelling more than 45 miles without a close male relative and have been ordered to wear face coverings in public. In addition, the Taliban have shut down beauty salons and prohibited women from entering gyms and parks.

The rollback of women's rights in Afghanistan has caused international alarm, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stating that he is "horrified" about the restrictions in Taliban-controlled areas. Women's rights activists in Afghanistan fear for their lives and express concern that the country is returning to the "dark days" of the Taliban's previous rule. The hard-fought gains in equality and human rights for Afghan women over the last two decades are being steadily dismantled by the Taliban.

Economic crisis

Afghanistan's economy has been in a state of crisis since the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021. The economy has contracted severely, with a 20.7% GDP contraction in 2021 and a further 6.2% contraction in 2022. The Taliban's abrupt cutoff of nearly all foreign aid, amounting to around $8 billion per year or 40% of Afghanistan's GDP, caused a massive economic shock. This was exacerbated by the ongoing collapse of the banking system, existing sanctions, and the freezing of Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves. The economic crisis has resulted in severe malnutrition, with most Afghans unable to afford food and other necessities. The loss of income and purchasing power has led to a sharp decline in aggregate demand and widespread disruptions to public services.

The Taliban's macroeconomic management has been better than expected, with a stable exchange rate, low inflation, effective revenue collection, and rising exports. They have inherited functioning government macroeconomic institutions and tried to maintain some capacity in agencies that are beneficial to the regime. The magnitude of corruption has been reduced, particularly in customs and at road checkpoints. However, the Taliban's complete lack of transparency on budget expenditures is unacceptable, and their ideology has hindered sound economic management.

The Taliban's restrictions on women and girls have had a devastating impact on the economy and society. Banning women from most paid jobs and girls from secondary schools has affected households where women were the sole or main earners. It has also limited the participation of over half of the population in the economy, hindering long-term economic and social development. These restrictions have reduced donors' willingness to provide humanitarian aid and accelerated the "brain drain" of educated women and men leaving the country.

The Taliban's opium poppy cultivation ban has resulted in a loss of income for rural households, further shocking the economy. While effective in reducing opium production, the ban has taken away the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of rural people.

The current low-level macroeconomic equilibrium is threatened by declining humanitarian assistance and the impact of the opium ban. These twin economic shocks will further worsen poverty and hunger, and Afghanistan is heading into another difficult winter.

To prevent a further economic decline and alleviate the humanitarian crisis, gradual reductions in aid are recommended, along with a shift towards aid that promotes livelihoods and economic activities. More international engagement is needed, providing assistance to vetted private businesses and monitoring financial transactions. However, there are no easy solutions to the complex economic and humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan.

Healthcare

Afghanistan's healthcare system was already facing challenges before the Taliban took control in August 2021. The country had made progress in expanding health services and improving health indicators over the previous two decades, but it was still constrained by a shortage of healthcare providers, particularly female providers. This shortage affected the provision of life-saving services, especially for women and children.

Under the Taliban, the situation has deteriorated further. The regime's restrictions on women's movement and their enforcement of gender segregation have severely impacted women's access to healthcare. A Taliban mandate, for instance, prohibits women from travelling more than 45 miles without a male relative as an escort. This restriction, coupled with the lack of female healthcare providers, often prevents women from seeking medical care.

The quality of healthcare in Afghanistan is also a concern. The system is heavily dependent on international aid and lacks adequate infrastructure and resources. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that only 17% of the country's healthcare facilities supported by the World Bank were fully functional as of September 2021.

The Taliban's restrictions on women's education will further exacerbate the issue. With girls being barred from attending school beyond the primary level, there will be a shortage of trained female healthcare workers in the future.

The economic crisis in Afghanistan has also impacted the healthcare system. Sanctions imposed against the Taliban have frozen much of the financial assistance that previously funded a large portion of the country's public sector, including healthcare. As a result, there is limited funding to deal with unusual crises, such as the June 2022 earthquake that killed about 1,000 people.

The Taliban's ban on opium poppy cultivation has also had economic repercussions, resulting in a loss of income for rural households. This loss of income further limits families' ability to access healthcare.

The current situation in Afghanistan's healthcare system is critical, and it largely depends on international aid to function. The lack of funding, combined with the Taliban's restrictions on women, is severely impacting the country's ability to provide adequate healthcare to its citizens, particularly women and children.

Education

The Taliban's interpretation of Sharia law has had a profound impact on Afghanistan's education system, particularly for girls and women. In 2021, the Taliban banned girls from receiving a secondary education, making Afghanistan the only country where girls are prohibited from attending school beyond the primary level. This ban was extended to universities in December 2022, with women prohibited from pursuing higher education.

The Taliban have also implemented over 20 written and verbal decrees on girls' education, banning co-education, certain university majors for female students, and annual university entrance exams for females. University female lecturers face severe restrictions designed to prevent interaction with men on campus.

The Taliban's educational policies are not limited to girls and women. They have also targeted boys' schools, with two girls' schools and one boys' school burned down in the provinces of Faryab, Paktia, and Panjshir, respectively, in a two-week period.

The Taliban's interpretation of Sharia law has resulted in a revised curriculum that prioritises religious studies and promotes a conservative interpretation of Islam. The Taliban have removed subjects such as art, culture, civics, music, English, history, and physical education. They have increased the credit hours for Islamic subjects across universities and conducted religious guideline classes for students, particularly those staying in public dormitories.

The Taliban have also dismissed educated and experienced teachers, replacing them with individuals who are not formally educated or hold only basic religious studies. This has resulted in unqualified teachers, a lack of teachers, and vacant hours during the school day.

The Taliban's policies have had a detrimental impact on the quality of education and attendance rates. Students and parents have reported a decline in educational quality, with newly hired teachers focusing more on moral values, dress codes, and hairstyles than school subjects. Corporal punishment has become increasingly common, and there is a strict enforcement of dress codes and restrictions on mobile phones and other personal items.

The Taliban's educational policies have violated human rights and international law. The right to education for boys and girls was guaranteed in Afghanistan's Constitution (Articles 43-44) and supported by the Education Law of 2008, which addressed equal rights for all children and compulsory education until grade nine. Additionally, the Taliban's actions contravene international human rights standards and treaties, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, Article 26) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

The international community has condemned the Taliban's educational policies and called for the reopening of schools for girls and women. However, the Taliban's leadership has remained unmoved, and Afghanistan's education system continues to face significant challenges and setbacks.

International relations

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has had a significant impact on the country's international relations, with the group facing widespread condemnation for its human rights abuses, particularly against women and girls. The international community has responded with sanctions and a refusal to formally recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

The Taliban's human rights record has been a major obstacle to gaining international recognition. The group has imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, barring them from education, employment, and public life. This has led to overseas aid drying up as major donors withdraw their funding. The lack of funds has pushed more people into poverty and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the country.

The Taliban also faces international isolation due to concerns about its ties to terrorist organizations, particularly al-Qaeda. The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. There are fears that Afghanistan could once again become a safe haven for terrorists under the Taliban rule.

The Taliban has held investment talks with regional countries, including China and Kazakhstan, and has improved domestic security through crackdowns on armed groups such as the Islamic State. However, their refusal to lift restrictions on women and girls has been a stumbling block in gaining international recognition and easing sanctions.

The international community is faced with a dilemma in dealing with the Taliban. On the one hand, there are concerns about legitimizing a regime that commits human rights abuses and has ties to terrorist organizations. On the other hand, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is dire, and there are risks of further economic decline and mass outmigration if aid is not provided.

Some have argued for a gradual decline in aid rather than a precipitous fall to limit the harm to Afghans and avoid another major macroeconomic shock. There have also been calls for a shift in the composition of aid, moving away from purely humanitarian support towards aid that promotes livelihoods and economic activities. Additionally, there is a need for more international engagement on the economy and the private sector, without providing financial support to the Taliban government.

The response to the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan has highlighted the complex nature of international relations, with countries navigating between upholding human rights and addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people.

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