Women silenced in Afghanistan - banned from phones and media

[ArabellaScott]

https://rukhshana.com/en/women-and-girls-restricted-from-media-phone-calls-in-khost-province

'The Taliban police headquarters in Khost province issued a written directive Saturday to the media, declaring a ban on any phone contact between women and girls with audio and visual media outlets.
According to the statement, media officials are warned that facilitating phone contact between girls and media outlets will result in summoning and pursuit.
The directive accuses some private radio stations in Khost province of promoting moral corruption, citing school lessons and social programs involving girls as a primary example.'

@BernardBlacksMolluscs

I see your point yes, and of course we are all individuals and being female is not going to stop some women from carrying out bad actions. But I do believe that as a group, women would lead a more balanced society without abuse of power.

This is why we call for equality in our own societies, as more females in boardrooms, governments and positions of leadership always leads to more balance.

I am so sad for the women in Afghanistan and others living under similar regimes. It is not living, it is just surviving.

Just ponder this:
In 1919, Afghan women were granted the right to vote. In 1920 the first school for girls opened its doors. In the 1970s, the Afghan government raised the marriage age for women from 18 to 21, abolished polygamy and introduced compulsory education.

How easily women's rights can slip away.

Horrifying and fascinating to see misogyny played out to these extremes.
The perfect woman! Uneducated, dependent, servile, married off young and completely silent. Why do so many men crave this in their women?
See also ‘Boko Haram’. Can’t get your entire country on your side? Just kidnap a village full of young girls and stage a slow takeover of a region.
I am so thankful to live in the time and place I do. We can never rest though.

'Solving' the problem of the Taliban would involve addressing many other issues - ISIS, Al Quaeda, Indian/Pakistan tensions, Russian/US/China tensions. Historically the country has always had interference and been used as a lever by other regimes, largely because of the geography/trade routes, in my very basic understanding.

If there's one thing the situation is not, it's straightforward.

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-briefing/2024/08/press-briefing-at-the-united-nations-headquarters-by-un-women-country-representative-in-afghanistan-alison-davidian-on-the-three-year-mark-of-the-taliban-takeover

From earlier this month.

I've just donated to them. It's heartbreaking.

It’s absolutely heartbreaking and must be a living hell for these women and girls.

And that's where the 'just blockade them' plan falls apart. It requires the cooperation of too many countries who will do something just because one of the others wants them not to. And more who will always act in their own interest rather than for the wider good - especially if they have limited trade options themselves.

You'd need Taiwan to cooperate with China, China with the USA, the USA with Russia, Russia with Europe, India with Pakistan, North Korea with everybody ...

You've all prompted me to donate to Linda Norgrove.

@Imnobody4 How easily women's rights can slip away. You're so right.

An analogy from me - I have a horse, he's a bit of a plod but certainly has his moments. Sometimes he spooks and runs a little way, and I'd always thought I was able to stop him. One day he just took off, full pelt, not because he was scared but because he wanted to - and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. When I got tried to get back control he stopped dead and chucked me off. I realised I'd been riding him with his consent.

As women we think we have a certain amount of control over our lives, but actually, if men as a group decide that women are not allowed to leave the house alone, or get an education, or go to the park, or talk in loud voices, we can't do a damn thing about it.

Exactly.

The answer is probably about as close as you could get to 'world peace'. And how close are we to that?

The US and allies' most recent involvements in Afghanistan have been pretty disastrous in many ways. I don't see them willing to get heavily involved again.

Withholding aid is one possible option that may have impact, but that impact is going to cause yet more suffering for women.

It's a very unstable regime, though. Who knows what will unfold between various hostile factions.

@ArabellaScott
In the end, one way or another its always tribalism, there here and everywhere.

What 'danger tourists' DON'T tell you about life under brutal Taliban rule: How regime is luring travel influencers to Afghanistan where women are stoned to death for adultery | Daily Mail Online

Some people are irredeemably stupid. Too dim to understand how they are being exploited.

The footage in that DM article of the woman being stoned, btw, is from a few years ago, 2010, and I believe it is from Pakistan. It is of course horrific and highly disturbing, and the men involved are allegedly Taliban.

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/video-shows-taliban-allegedly-stoning-pakistan-woman-idUSTRE68Q2TA/

The Linda Norgrove Foundation got mentioned on R4 Today his morning

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20lrzpxklro

This is what opinion pieces are good at. Drawing together seemingly separate things to draw parallels

Echoes the post up thread. If it could happen there how would we stop it here

inews.co.uk/opinion/taylor-swift-malala-and-the-abandoning-of-afghan-women-3247778