The Crisis Facing Afghan Women s Rights Everyone should be entitled to basic human rights however many women around the world are fighting for the fundamental freedoms given to men Nowhere is this more prevalent than in Afghanistan where women s rights and status are under attack The social roles and expectations of women in Afghanistan dictate the privileges they are entitled to and at times deprive them of basic human rights Indeed Afghan women face poverty limited access to health care limited educational opportunities and being forced into abusive marriages and domestic violence situations The limitation of women s rights in Afghanistan is a problem that s not truly recognized globally and it is an ongoing issue that has been worsened by the government takeover of the Taliban Afghan women are in a constant state of fighting just as soon as they make progress it is revoked and their progress is set back by decades Ironically enough Afghan women had the right to vote in 1919 before the United States gave women the right to vote In 1921 the first school for girls was established The 2004 constitution enshrines gender equality Throughout the decades we see how Afghan women s advocacy has been seminal to the country moving forward in both peace and development Davidian 1 Nevertheless these steps forward in progress have not continued and women s rights have been inconsistent Historically Afghan women s rights have been a point of dispute for decades and have been used as a bargaining chip for those in power The Taliban regime made the situation worse when they first came to power The Taliban emerged in the aftermath of the Afghan War 1978 92 when the new government failed to establish order post war Taliban 1 They immediately implemented laws and punishments that harmed women s rights and freedoms The tumultuous changes in leadership since the Taliban first took power in the early 1990 s have had lasting impacts on the country despite the American occupation after 9 11 For nearly a decade the Taliban ruled Afghanistan and women s rights were severely limited The reestablishment of their leadership in the past year has caused a reversion to the laws and attitudes in place before 9 11 The regime has once again limited opportunities once given to women Since the Taliban took power a cabinet has been appointed that has no women Deputy Ministers were appointed and again no women were included The Ministry for Women s Affairs has been abolished stripping women s voices and subjugating them within the male dominated society Davidian 1 Since the Taliban has regained power in 2021 their leadership is saying one thing and doing another Hashimi Women have borne the brunt of most of their severe policies Women have lost their jobs many of whom were simply told not to come back The Taliban have also vowed to impose Sharia or Islamic law without providing specifics the Taliban s earlier rule was shaped by Afghanistan s unique tribal traditions under which women are not to be seen in public Those customs endure today Gannon Afghan women demand rights Adding to the issues facing women is the idea that the Taliban is notorious for its inconsistent foreign policy and it is difficult for other countries to show significant interest in the Taliban occupation of Afghanistan due to fatigue Hashimi Then in February 2020 a deal was struck with the Taliban and the Afghan government was left out It included an exit plan for the United States in the four page document the US promised to leave Afghanistan by certain dates staging the removal in several waves Within the document the US promised not to interfere and 5 000 Taliban prisoners would be released Hashimi Unfortunately this document did little to help the status of women in Afghanistan instead women have become the victims of a violent militant regime whose takeover has caused severe poverty especially for the female population And unless poverty along with the denial of other human rights is addressed Afghan women will continue to be repressed Due to recent political changes causing economic crises many Afghani people especially women do not have access to basic human rights such as food water and shelter The extreme poverty plaguing the country greatly impedes their ability to have their basic human needs met Indeed poverty and hunger are two of the most dire crises facing the Afghan people Hashimi On August 15 2021 when the government collapsed people could not access their money in the banks Hashimi Since then almost 500 000 government employees have not received their salaries for well over two months Afghan women march for rights In fact with the reestablishment of the Taliban ATMS have been shut down and banks the few remaining are limiting withdrawals to 200 per week and there is widespread hunger Gannon Afghan women demand rights The impact this has had on the people is shocking most Afghani people have little to no money Sadly most Afghans live on less than 1 90 U S a day Gannon Group Says Health Care This minuscule amount was previously helped with funding from other countries but with the resurgence of the Taliban and removal of troops US aid funding to Afghanistan fell from 16 748 million in FY fiscal year to 3120 million in FY 2021 Barr 3 The removal of these funds has greatly impacted the entire country particularly women and girls who greatly need assistance Startlingly some 18 million people or half of the population need humanitarian assistance The UN Development Program fears that 97 percent of the Afghans could plunge into poverty by mid next year Afghan women march for rights Without these funds it is likely Afghani people particularly women will continue to suffer especially given the future expectations of the economy Compounding the issue of poverty in its current state is the expectation that Afghanistan s Gross Domestic Product GDP could contract by 13 2 percent leading to an increase in the poverty rate by 25 Gannon Afghan women march for rights While poverty impacts all of the Afghani people women and girls are the hardest hit given their status in society Even before the latest escalation in violence half the population required humanitarian assistance Fifty percent of those in need in Afghanistan are women and girls What Is Happening to Women and Girls in Afghanistan 1 In fact it is estimated that 61 72 percent of Afghan women live in poverty Gannon Group Says Health Care Unless poverty along with the denial of other