JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. Here, a lawyer in Kabul offers his observations and perspective on women and public health issues in Afghanistan under the new regime. For privacy and security reasons we are withholding his name and institutional affiliation. The text has been only lightly edited to respect the author’s voice.
The Taliban have made a number of commitments to saving public assets and preserving achievements of the last two decades in Afghanistan. But this has not been proven since they took over control of Afghanistan again in August. The Taliban’s definition of the Islamic rules/regulations prompted horror of their government between 1996 to 2001. The Taliban may have updated some of their views since they came back to power, but there is not much evidence showing that they have changed their behavior, especially as regards human rights, women’s fundamental rights, and political freedoms.
The Taliban’s general reaction to women’s issues relating to education and work is a case in point. This quickly became evident after they took over. For instance, no women are allowed to go to their work place; women were allowed to study but were required to comply with some newly adopted policies by the Ministry of Higher Education. The policies were questionable, but I admire women’s participation in the classes despite them.
Moreover, the Taliban have said that even if women are allowed to work they won’t be allowed to obtain high ranking positions in the government. This is a result of the Taliban’s understanding of the hard version of the Islamic sharia rules.
If things continue like this, women will have to accept living in hardship. They will have no advocate in the Government, will not be able to work in TV, there will be no woman musicians, and there will be no cinema. So far, the Taliban have announced that artists may have to change their careers, men and women alike.
In sum, women’s lives will be highly adversely affected by the Taliban way of governance.
Additionally, under Taliban rule the public health sector will collapse in the not-too-distant future. According to reports, more than 2,000 public health centers in the country are now closed for various reasons. The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and some other development funds used to financially support the health sector in the country. The Ministry of Public Health will not be able to do much without foreign aid. I am expecting a health crisis within a year in the country. We were just about to win the fight against polio in Afghanistan. Last year we had only one kid diagnosed with polio in Afghanistan, which made us hopeful that Afghanistan will be a free-polio country. Due to the closure of major health centers the polio vaccination is stopped.
If these health centers do not start operations, I am expecting that not only polio but other diseases will rise again. I am afraid that children and women will be in great danger in the future. Additionally, I researched public health data retention in Afghanistan and I see that there are a number of NGOs that have done this for the Ministry of Public Health. Now, there is no one doing it due to lack of sufficient funds.
Public health infrastructure will collapse if those centers are not operated soon. The databases and systems adopted by the international community will be destroyed, and public health experts will no longer be encouraged or even allowed to work.
