To be shocked this isn't getting more coverage?

[Sugarcoldturkey]

Women in Afghanistan are now forbidden from speaking when not inside their homes. A simple "hello" to someone in a shop is now against the law. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/aug/26/taliban-bar-on-afghan-women-speaking-in-public-un-afghanistan

AIBU to think this is some of the most horrific news I've heard in months? I can't wrap my head around it and I can't help thinking - activists/newspapers/politicians are loud when campaigning about the gender pay gap or the state of child care or a woman's rights to her own body but somehow on this topic no one wants to criticise too often or too loudly.

Is it because religion is mixed in? Or guilt over the war? Or do politicians in particular only care about women's rights when it's a vote-winner in their constituency? Or is it just that it's so terrible and we all feel so powerless to prevent it that we just prefer to ignore the situation?

I'm feeling v v shaken.

I agree, OP. I think western governments are ashamed of the fact that we left Afghanistan to the Taliban.

I would suggest an element of guilt and frustration that everything has gone backwards and the war in Afghanistan has achieved nothing. The Taliban are back worse than ever it is horrendous and so scary. These women were promised so much by the west and are now left completely abandoned in a brutal misogynistic regime.

It's so horrific. The UK leaving how it did is shameful.

It’s absolutely terrifying that women annd girls are being subjected to this.

I saw the article on Monday, quite far down in the news feed. Then today I had to really go digging to find it again. I'm shocked that this is the only article I've seen about what's happening (and I read several newspapers) and there isn't any sort of public outcry over it. It's heartbreaking.

It is completely heartbreaking.

When I was a child I used wonder about why there wasn't more international resistance to extreme forms of government like there was in the Soviet Union etc. I felt innocently smug about being born in enlightened times. Now I'm in the position of better understanding the past through our helplessness in the present and becoming resigned to it, rather than drawing lessons from the past to help resist horrible situations in the present. What can we do - other than becoming UN special rapporteurs or reporters or diplomats or whatever and making a tiny, local dent in the situation?

There isn't a public outcry because there is very little we can do.

The U.K. has invaded Afghanistan I think three or four times in the last 200 years.

The soviets, the Americans and us have all tried to drag them out of their backward tribal culture which oppresses women.

Ultimately the men in Afghanistan are prepared to fight for their country and their right to do what they want in it which includes treating women terribly.

All of the invasions were fought and ultimately the Afghans won.

So no, unless you want to suggest that a country invades Afghanistan and puts it's soldiers lives on the line (and lots of them will die) to protect the women of Afghanistan then there is nothing to be done.

@valadon68 unfortunately, the UN don't seem to be doing anything either. Some googling brought up this: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/24/un-meeting-blocks-afghan-women-agenda-participation

So meetings between the UN and the Taliban have excluded any mention of women's rights!?

I can't help thinking that if one government can do this and get away with it, then others might follow? Surely a would-be dictator would a love a way to effectively shut down 50% of the population.

Trump and Biden played a massive part in this. It was their stupid agreement (Promise you won’t let the Taliban back in control!)

Im not sure the UK could have done it without the rest of NATOs backing but I also don’t think Boris pushed or supported a different alliance.

Please consider helping Afghan women and girls by donating:

https://lindanorgrovefoundation.org/

Thanks for the link.

It’s only women isn’t it, not like in other countries where actual people are being oppressed.

I can’t forgive the Biden administration for leaving the region and effectively arming the Taliban to the teeth. Shameful. Makes my heart hurt when I think of it.

Absolutely horrendous. I don't understand why this isn't top of the news. Reminiscent of A Handmaid's Tale.

Surely there's a big difference between a public outcry and outright war?

We could publicly condemn the Taliban, publicly call out Trump and Boris Johnson (and others too of course) for allowing the Taliban to regain control, we could try to further enshrine the rights of women into our laws and societies.

I don't know, I guess I just want some public acknowledgment that it is a truly f-ed situation and that the women of Afghanistan (and other countries as well) deserve so much more.

It’s horrific and extremely sad. But ultimately it’s not reported much because ‘society’ (in other words men) does not think oppression of women is as bad as oppression of other groups such as oppression based on race, ethnic group or religion.

In the 80s loads of people boycotted South African goods etc at protest on South African not allowing black people to vote. My own mum always used to check the labels on fruit in the supermarket and if it came from South Africa she didn’t buy it. However Saudi Arabia only recently gave women the vote and no-one boycotted Saudi Arabia.

Exactly what is anyone supposed to do about it. The change needs to come from within.

….and of course if the Brits/US/whoever did decide to “do something”, anything, there would be useful idiots of the left, by the thousand, calling any such effort out as intervention by colonialist powers.

If it’s a job for anybody it’s the UN but quite which countries would be prepared to affectively lend their armed forces to the UN …who knows.

But for example when the US rowed back on abortion rights, there were loads of articles about it in other countries, loads of discussions here in Europe, and UK politicians made their positions clear.

We didn't just shrug and say we can't do anything about the US and change has to come from within. I mean, I agree that it has to be American voters pushing for change but that doesn't stop the rest of the world from having an opinion.

I watch the news a fair amount and had not seen this. This is appallingly horrific. The lack of coverage is also really bad and speaks to the worlds perceived insignificance of their plight. So sad.

I have no idea what can be done. An outcry, a protest, anything will just be ignored.

Being honest, I’m terrified that it could happen here. Maybe I’ve read too many dystopian novels.

Because it is our fault. Because it isn't the first or last time we poke our noses in then bow out and leave behind a dictatorship regime of some kind. And because there is no easy solution.

The UN is currently trying to get food assistance and cash into the country in an effort to make sure that the entire population doesn't starve.

If the taliban cannot feed their people there will be a refugee crisis similar to the Syrian one with millions in the move. Nobody wants that, least of all the countries near Afghanistan.

I am a woman. I object to the taliban's oppression of women. Many Muslims object to the taliban's oppression of Muslims (a lot of Muslim countries have not recognised them as a state).

However if the only way to get food and cash into the country and stop the whole country starving is to not discuss women's rights then I would do it.

A Muslim point of view here:

aje.io/k9dhi1

At the end of the day it’s only women affected. So it seems no one cares. I wouldn’t hold your breath for protests like those we are seeing about Gaza.

I agree with you completely. It is horrendous. In addition, if an afghan woman or girl as much as looks at a man that is not in her immediate family she will be punished because it compromises the family’s honour.

But how? Already in a nikab, shut in the house, married off at 9 in the worst case scenarios. It is atrocious, but short of the women taking up arms themselves there is little that can be done from the outside bar supporting charities that fight for their rights.

Edit: there have been reports of protests outside some Afghan embassies in European countries. Not sure how much of an impact that has.