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Hardly any other country restricts women's rights as much as Afghanistan. Here, women report living in prison-like conditions that widely forbid them from taking part in public life.

"Over the past 22 months, every aspect of women's and girls' lives has been restricted . They are discriminated against in every way," the United Nations ( UN) Deputy High Commissioner for
Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif said in a statement on June 19.

A recent report by the UN Human Rights Council stated further that the "grave, systematic and institutionalized discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule," adding that the Taliban "may be responsible for gender apartheid."

Women no longer able to study
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women have been banned from higher learning. Initially, women and men were strictly separated at universities. For some time, female students could only be taught by other women or older men. In late 2022, a decree by the Afghan Education Ministry put an end to this and expelled women from universities completely.

Family Minister Lisa Paus on women's rights in Afghanistan:

It's unclear how many women are now no longer able to study. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has estimated that some 90,000 women could be affected — that's how many were enrolled in 2018.

At the time, the Taliban justified their prohibition by claiming that many female students hadn't worn appropriate Islamic attire, such as a hijab, and that there had been a mixing of genders.

In December 2022, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it was hard to imagine how Afghanistan would develop and tackle the challenges it faced without the active participation of women and the education they bring to the table, pointing out the "devastating impact on the country's future."

According to various media reports, women are now continuing their education in online seminars.

However, due to the country's poor internet network and the lack of jobs and career prospects, this is hardly an alternative.

Women excluded from the job market
Not only have women been banned from education, they have also been excluded from the job market.

According to the International Labor Organization, the number of women employed last year was down by 25% compared to mid-2021.

The Taliban have forbidden women from working with the United Nations or with nongovernmental organizations. This has led to several international NGOs such as Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE to shut down their operations in Afghanistan, because they could not implement their projects without female staff. Thousands of female government employees were let go or even paid to stay at home.

Earlier this year, Yamini Mishra, regional director for Amnesty International's South Asia office, said barring women from working for NGOs in Afghanistan was exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. "It is as if the Taliban are intentionally driving the country into famine," she said.

"Their discriminatory policies are bringing shocking levels of food insecurity and making the delivery of international assistance almost impossible," she added. Women in need of assistance can only receive aid from other women, as they are forbidden from being in contact with men who are strangers to them.

Health care for women also severely restricted
Afghanistan is one of the world's most dangerous countries for women, mothers and babies. Each year, about 70 out of 1,000 women die while pregnant or giving birth. Many mothers do not have enough to eat, which raises the risk of complications during pregnancy. After giving birth, they struggle to feed their children.

The humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders has said the Taliban's decision to exclude women from higher education and their employment at aid organizations has drastically worsened access to medical treatment. This is particularly due to the travel restriction the Taliban have imposed on women.

In rural areas, the nearest hospital is often more than the 75 kilometers (47 miles) away, and women aren't allowed to travel without being accompanied by a "mahram" — a father, husband or brother acting as chaperone. To make matters worse, many people in Afghanistan can barely afford the fare for such a long journey, let alone for two people.

What's more, the Taliban has ruled that women can only be treated by female doctors. So far, women have been allowed to continue working in hospitals — but there are too few female doctors, especially in rural areas. And they, too, are bound by the same movement restrictions as their patients. Those who cannot find a mahram to accompany them to work are forced to stay at home. This is why practically all of Afghanistan suffers from a lack of female doctors and midwives.

Strict dress code, no sports
Clothing restrictions have become equally restrictive. In the summer of 2022, Afghan TV presenter Sonia Niazi fought against the regulation to cover her face, but was forced to comply when on air.

In Afghanistan, women are required to only wear a burqa, a garment which covers the entire body. If a woman does not comply with this regulation, her male relatives risk jail time.

Women in Afghanistan are no longer allowed to play soccer, not even when wearing a burqa. Female athletic teams are no longer allowed to compete.

Due to this rule, Afghanistan's national women's teams live in exile in Australia. The Taliban's edict forbids women in Afghanistan from visiting parks, fitness studios, public pools, gymnasiums and sports clubs, making sports practically impossible for women.

Nearly two years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, women and girls are struggling with their mental health as they endure harsh restrictions on their freedoms.
They cannot travel without a male relative, have been denied post-primary education , are banned from numerous public spaces, and have had their access to employment and healthcare curtailed.

BetterHeadline:
Women Suicide Rates Soar In Islamic Utopia

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STRI1:
The mumu in you didn't allow.you to differentiate between extremist and normal Muslims right ? Is that how it's closed in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, turkey, Iran, Tunisia, Morocco etc ?

Women in Afghanistan have held a rare protest against the Taliban's decision to shut female beauty parlours and salons.

Women shouted "work, bread and justice" while they were gathered in the capital city, Kabul.

Taliban guards responded with water cannons, and some protesters said stun guns were also used against them.

Women's rights have been increasingly restricted since Taliban rulers returned to power in 2021.

Around 50 women took part in the protest on Wednesday, according to AFP news agency.

The Taliban said earlier this month they were giving all salons in Afghanistan one month to wind down their businesses and close shop, drawing concern from international officials worried about the impact on female entrepreneurs. The Taliban say they are outlawing salons allegedly because they offer services forbidden by Islam and cause economic hardship for grooms’ families during wedding festivities.

The ruling came from the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada — the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, following edicts barring them from education, public spaces and most forms of employment.

In a rare sign of public opposition to Taliban orders, dozens of beauticians and makeup artists gathered in the capital of Kabul to protest the ban.

“We are here for justice," said one protester who identified herself as Farzana. “We want work, food and freedom."

The Taliban sprayed the women with water and shot their rifles into the air to disperse the gathering.

Farzana later said the women were going to the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, urging protesters to stay together.

One protester told The Associated Press the demonstration started at around 10 a.m. in the Shar-e-Naw area of the capital. She did not want to give her name for fear of reprisals.

“The purpose of our demonstration was that they (the Taliban) should reconsider and reverse the decision to close beauty salons because this is about our lives,” she said. “All of us, 50 to 60 women, participated. Our slogan was work, bread and freedom.”

The protest continued into the early afternoon, when the Taliban arrived to break up the crowd, she said. They used tasers on the demonstrators.

“They put two or three of our friends in the car and took them," she said.

Nobody from the Taliban-run government was immediately available for comment about the protest.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan, known as UNAMA, criticized the Taliban use of force in dispersing the protesters.

“Reports of the forceful suppression of a peaceful protest by women against the ban on beauty salons — the latest denial of women’s rights in #Afghanistan — are deeply concerning,” the U.N. mission said in a tweet. “Afghans have the right to express views free from violence. De facto authorities must uphold this.”

Meanwhile, the Taliban-run Ministry for Vice and Virtue, which had announced the ban on beauty salons in early July, said Wednesday it was destroying goods and instruments used for the “promotion of music and corruption” and posted photos of bonfires on Twitter.

“These materials, which were collected from immoral programs in Kabul and some provinces in the past few months, and which caused the loss of our youth and the deterioration of society, were destroyed according to Sharia (Islamic law),” the ministry tweeted.