Almost a week ago Taliban cemented its control over Afghanistan. This has led to the atmosphere in the country turning from bad to worse. However, it is the women of the country who may lose all the rights and developments they have earned in the past twenty years.?
When the Taliban group ruled the country between?1996-2001, girls' schools were closed, women were prevented from travelling and working, and were forced to wear an all-covering burqa in public.?
Women fear that history will repeat itself. However, some gutsy women of the country didn't want to stand back and watch their hard work turn to dust. Some women have been?women staging protests against the militant group on the streets of Kabul.
These women are simply asking for their rights. The right to work, the right to education and the right to political participation. The right to live in a safe society.
Two days after the militant group took control, four women in black abayas and black and green hijabs can be seen in a video of the protest, holding up signs, demanding that the Taliban give them proper rights.
However, a 24-year-old activist named Crystal Barat who graduated from Delhi University last year is among the several brave women who have openly protested against the Taliban in the face of arms and violence.?
She is a political activist has earned a bachelor¡¯s degree in Political Science from the Daulat Ram College in Delhi University and also holds a master¡¯s degree from United Nations Institute in Delhi. Her mother is a doctor and her father works for the interior ministry of the Afghan government. Bayat finished her education in 2019 and returned to her native country.
"How sad are the stories of women who have experienced twenty years of war and bloodshed? Afghanistan is in a terrible situation. The world must hear and act on the voices of Afghan women and youths. No one knows what will happen tomorrow," she was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
However, she is scared to attend calls from India as her phone is ¡°under control¡±. On Monday morning, she said over a WhatsApp call that she and her family are looking for a safe place. She doesn¡¯t have access to the Internet for more than a few hours daily.
She even described how she is being threatened by people who claim to be from the Taliban and is being asked to back down.?
She was one of the participants at the Independence Day protests in the country. There were nearly 1,500 men who participated but just seven women.
Let's hope the women in the country get back their rights.?