How are they now?: Women and OFWs in Afghanistan
“The face of a woman is a source of corruption,” said the Taliban spokesperson during their first takeover. The Taliban acted on coercive measures which categorized women as “second-class citizens” for a male-dominated and patriarchal society to be achieved.
During the Taliban’s regime in the years of 1996-2001, Afghan women were required to be covered entirely from head to toe; Afghan women were deprived of their right to education and healthcare; they were also not allowed to work and were also not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male family member. The homes of these Afghan women are also required to be covered to remain unseen by the other Afghan people.
To this day, Women in Afghanistan live in fear. Hunted by men, Nearly 230 female judges are in hiding, scared for their life as criminals put into jail by these women run rampant due to the Taliban’s decision to set them free.
“I am terrified. It’s like a nightmare. I don’t feel safe even in my room. I’m scared of the Taliban. When I see them I feel they will know who I am and they will come to beat me, kick me or send me to prison.”
As of August 30, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had facilitated the evacuation of 40,000 and 36,500 respectively (Davies, 2021).
On August 15, 2021, the Department of Foreign Affairs called for a mandatory evacuation for the OFW’s stationed in Afghanistan due to the current Taliban takeover.
Over 182 OFWs were, fortunately, able to evacuate from Afghanistan being transferred to different countries like Norway, Kuwait, UAE, United Kingdom, and Kazakhstan. Some were also able to have shelter in the Indonesian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan causing the OFWs to be assisted by the Indonesian government. Reports from August 23, 2021, however, state that 27 more Filipinos are still in Afghanistan according to DFA, with 10 Filipinos signifying their intent to stay in the country.
This is in part due to the COVID-19 situation, wherein the Philippine government was categorized the country as Alerts level 4, a label alarming enough that OFWs refuse to evacuate. The DFA is said to be doing its best to convince people to leave and is willing to stretch out to help their fellow countrymen.
References:
107th Congress. (2001). Authorization for Use of Military Force. U.S. Government Printing Office. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-107publ40/html/PLAW-107publ40.htm
Afghan siblings recount the perils of the first day of Taliban rule. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/world/asia/taliban-kabul-scenes.html
Al Jazeera. (2021, August 16). Opium: Afghanistan’s drug trade that helped fuel the Taliban. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/8/16/opium-afghanistans-illicit-drug-trade-that-helped-fuel-taliban
Biden, J. (2021a). Remarks by President Biden on Afghanistan. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/08/16/remarks-by-president-biden-on-afghanistan/
Biden, J. (2021b). Remarks by President Biden on the Way Forward in Afghanistan. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/04/14/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-way-forward-in-afghanistan/
Council on Foreign Relations. (n.d.). The U.S. War in Afghanistan. Retrieved September 4, 2021, from https://www.cfr.org/timeline/us-war-afghanistan
Henney, M. (2021, August 20). Where does the Taliban get its money and who’s funding the militant group in Afghanistan? Fox Business. https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/taliban-afghanistan-funding-sources
The Taliban’s Goals. (2013, February 21). https://afghanistand.wordpress.com/joshs-group/talibans-goals/
UNHCR. (2021). Where are Afghan Refugees going? Retrieved from: https://www.unrefugees.org/news/where-are-afghan-refugees-going/
What is an Islamic Emirate? (n.d.). Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-170714
What is the Taliban? The purpose of the Taliban. (2021, April 20). https://www.rafand.org/
WION Web Team. (n.d.). Who is Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban leader who may become new Afghanistan president? WION. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/who-is-abdul-ghani-baradar-the-taliban-leader-who-may-become-new-afghanistan-president-405982