Women's rights under grave attack in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover

Kabul [Afghanistan], October 26 (ANI): Rights of women in Afghanistan came under grave attack soon after the Taliban took control of the country unfolding a tragedy in front of the world's eyes, a media report said.
Afghanistan's women -- who have welcomed and spearheaded the concept of democracy, freedom and human rights more than any other in-group in the country -- are seeing their advancements disappearing in a flash, said Afghan Diaspora Network.
The Taliban, after taking control of Kabul, had emphasised that women's rights will be shielded according to Sharia, or Islamic law, without further elaboration.
It inflamed fears among women that international standards of freedom, democracy and human dignity, which were established as the result of twenty years of hard work, will be replaced with the restricted role supported by Islamist norms, said Afghan Diaspora Network.
The fear started deepening as, during the announcement of interim government by the Taliban, the group did not include any women in the cabinet despite the repeated call by other countries for an inclusive government.
The Taliban's previous reign during the 1990s also terrifies women over their treatment of women.
Many women are purchasing burqas, the veil to protect themselves from the Taliban, while other thousands seek possible ways to flee the country, according to the Afghan Diaspora.
Women had tried to turn Afghanistan into a home for female leaders, activists, judges, parliamentarians, educators and journalists as they benefitted from the freedom and democratic values supported by the international community.
Afghanistan's women through innumerable advocacy programs in the last 20 years were able to create laws and policies to protect their rights in the country. But it all changed when the Taliban took power again.
The Taliban, after seizing Herat city, sent female students and employees home and began to stress Islamic Sharia to define women's rights. It demonstrated that the Taliban attempted to justify restricting women and rolling back many of the freedom earned by women over the last 20 years.
With the exodus of women's activists, professionals, and leaders, Afghanistan will face a lack of a professional cadre to advance women's rights and their participation in the decision-making process, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network. (ANI)