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We’ve looked at the Taliban’s brutal repression of women in Afghanistan before in the Daily Brief, so regular readers will be familiar with the general outlines of the most serious women’s rights crisis in the world.
The Taliban have banned girls and women from education beyond sixth grade, blocked them from many forms of employment, and restricted their movement in public. A woman cannot leave her house without a male family member chaperoning her. The Taliban have also declared women should not be heard speaking or singing in public.
But in addition to these more general restrictions, some groups of women have been particular Taliban targets. A new HRW report documents how Taliban authorities have threatened former policewomen – that is, women who served in the police under the previous government. Given the threats, many have had to go into hiding.
It’s worth remembering, however, many Afghan policewomen also suffered under the old government. Hundreds experienced sexual harassment and assault, including rape, by male colleagues and supervisors. The perpetrators were never held accountable – neither by the former authorities, nor by the Taliban.
The survivors of these past abuses continue to face ongoing psychological trauma with little or no access to appropriate psychosocial support. They also live in fear of retaliation not only by the Taliban, but also by their own relatives, some of whom think their work “shamed” the family.
Making matters even worse, outside governments that in the past supported programs to train and hire women in the Afghan police force are now apparently trying to wash their hands of the whole thing. They ignored the abuses when they happened and have generally not granted asylum to these women now needing to find safety and support.
Governments including the US, Canada, Japan, and Germany, as well as others in the EU, should support Afghan women seeking asylum and prioritize these women for refugee resettlement.
Hope lies with these outside governments recognizing their share of responsibility here and doing the right thing.