By Armaan Soorma, age 13
In America, education is a granted right. However, in other countries, receiving an education is sometimes rare and prohibited. This is currently the case in Afghanistan, where girls over the age of 12 are disallowed to receive any education.
From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban had control over Afghanistan. However, they were forced to leave after troops from Western countries were deployed. Now they have taken over again and are using the same tactics as before to limit women’s rights.
Not only is the Taliban curtailing the education girls can get, according to CBS News, they have introduced a new law, known as the “morality law,” where women have to cover their faces and bodies in public. They are also not allowed to sing or speak in public spaces. Women aren’t allowed to go to parks, gyms, workplaces or beauty salons. At the end of 2024, the Taliban ordered that new buildings should be constructed so that there are no windows looking into rooms or spaces where women usually are, like kitchens.
In response to the new laws, many women have protested the Taliban and their decisions. Hakima is a midwifery student who was forced to give up her education. She told CBS News, “The Taliban are scared of women. They are afraid of women’s voices. They know how powerful Afghan women are, and our voices will destroy them. That is why they want to silence half of society with their women-hating laws.”
The Taliban’s oppressive actions have led to several responses throughout not only Afghanistan, but the entire world. Not only are people like Hakima protesting, but others in Afghanistan are helping girls learn despite the Taliban’s laws through online schools.
