Afghan women raise concern over Taliban’s new rule

Ever since the Taliban took over control of Afghanistan, large-scale and systematic gender-based discrimination and violence against women and girls has been ongoing in the country, which has apparently witnessed a downfall trend.Local women have expressed worries over the way they have to live under the Taliban.According to Afghan Peace Watch, there are now newly imposed restrictions on Afghan women and girls in Herat province. They are not allowed to move freely in women’s parks but only on specified days, and family sections in restaurants are closed down by law; however, most citizens didn’t heed that restriction.A 22-year-old girl, Rehana Ahmadian said that they used to go to the park to take a stroll as her mother had high blood cholesterol based on a doctor’s advice but ever since the Taliban came to power, they warned us not to leave homes without a male guardian; we lost all independence compared to the former governmentdespite women’s parks are separate from men’s.”Taliban have nothing else to do but suppress women since coming into power, and they have imprisoned us all women at home,” Asila Misbah, a women’s rights activist based in Herat said.”I used to eat food in restaurants with my family most of the time, but now due to Taliban restrictions on women, I can’t spend an hour with my family outside. Everything we do is in an uncertain manner and we fear retribution even though we tread carefully,” she added. Similarly, in Zabul province, the Taliban have recently threatened men not to allow women to attend wedding ceremonies.