Persecution of Single Women in Afghanistan
The Taliban's Return is Catastrophic for Women
The Atlantic article 'The Taliban's Return is Catastrophic for Women' can be used to support the factual claims and legal arguments made by the applicant. The following are relevant excerpts, as well as the link to the entire article.
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"One morning in the summer of 1999, Shukriya Barakzai woke up feeling dizzy and feverish. According to the Taliban’s rules, she needed a Maharram, a male guardian, in order to leave home to visit the doctor. Her husband was at work, and she had no sons. So she shaved her 2-year-old daughter’s head, dressed her in boys’ clothing to pass her off as a guardian, and slipped on a burka." Page 3
"The men regularly drove around Kabul in pickup trucks, looking for Afghans to publicly shame and punish for violating their moral code. The men jumped out of the truck and started whipping [the woman] with a rubber cable until she fell over, then continued whipping her. When they finished, she stood up, crying. She was shocked and humiliated. She had never been beaten before." Page 3
"[By the year 2000] the Taliban had implemented its interpretation of Sharia, Islamic law. Education for women and girls was forbidden under almost all circumstances, and women (except for select, approved female doctors) were not allowed to work outside of the home or even leave the house without a male guardian. Women who did go out were required to wear burkas, a traditional modesty garment that fits tightly over the head and drapes all the way to the ankles, rendering a woman fully covered and unidentifiable in public." Page 6