Soon after taking control of Afghanistan, nine months ago, Taliban representatives promised a new updated government without any prejudice or violence against Afghan women.
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In the next few months, the patriarchal Taliban government has imposed a number of oppressive orders on women. It also denies women basic rights such as education and employment. As a result, these orders have placed unlimited restrictions on women's public life.
In Afghanistan, where there is freedom of the open and free media, a new regime is being run by a militant group like the Taliban with a radical interpretation of Islamic law. It is unfortunate that women journalists and journalists have to pay a heavy price for their rights to journalism, freedom of expression and personal autonomy.
Since the Taliban came to power, many journalists have been flogged, inhumanely beaten and forcibly detained for violating the rules. Due to this increasingly oppressive behavior, many women have chosen to stay away from the media.
According to a joint survey conducted by Media Watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Press Association in December 2021, 84% of women journalists and media workers have lost their jobs since August 2021. A second survey by the Afghan National Union of Journalists in March 2022 found that nearly 79 percent of Afghan women journalists claimed to have been insulted or threatened by the Taliban regime. These threats include physical injury as well as verbal threats from Taliban representatives.
Given the progress women have made in Afghanistan's news, arts and entertainment, the treatment they receive from the Taliban is regrettable. The Taliban had banned Afghan TV channels from airing dramas and soap operas involving women from the very beginning. But some time ago, women were ordered to cover their heads with a burqa.
The Taliban issued 11 rules requiring Taliban consent before reporting to journalists. This deprives journalists of a free choice of the topics they want to cover.
Orders have also been issued for women who want to travel more than 45 miles from their homes to be accompanied by male parents. This has made it difficult for women journalists to travel far and wide for news coverage. All of these oppressive orders pose serious challenges for women journalists in Afghanistan. Of course, there is no chance that anything will change in this situation.
From May 21, women newscasters and anchors will have to cover their faces during presentations, and the burqa will be the ideal outfit to achieve this, the Taliban's Vice and Virtue Ministry has ordered. This is in addition to the previous oppressive orders. Some female anchors had refused to comply with the rules for some time, but after the Taliban increased pressure on media companies, they were left with no choice but to cover the news. According to the ordinance, officers are empowered to dismiss female employees if they do not comply with the dress code, and male employees are also at risk of suspension if female employees do not comply with the order.
Such orders will hamper the ability of Afghan women to work in the media. The first reason for this is that it is very difficult for a man to keep his face covered for two to three hours continuously. Second, the wearing of masks by women journalists as well as news reporters will prevent the details of the news from reaching the audience and reduce the effectiveness of the news. The third aspect of this is that this will put a lot of stress on women journalists and as a result many will be inclined to leave the field.
Women journalists as well as reporters wearing masks and covering their faces will prevent the details of the news from reaching the audience and reduce the effectiveness of the news.
Against the backdrop of all these orders and coercion, many activists fear that the chaos of 1996 to 2001 will return to Afghanistan, and that this will jeopardize women's freedom. That's why Afghan women and international activists are starting to speak out. Many journalists and human rights activists in Afghanistan and around the world have posted masked photos of themselves on social media using the hashtag #FreeHerFace. Thus they have relied on social media to protest the Taliban’s recent directive.
Meanwhile, the international community has refused to formally recognize the Taliban government. Respect for women's rights and freedoms is a key condition for the legitimacy of the new Afghan rulers seeking diplomacy, she explained. The international community has said that only after monitoring the treatment of women in Afghanistan will the government be given the benefits of development funds and frozen cash. Thus, if the Taliban continue its maneuvers of oppression of women, their freedom of expression as well as their right to personal autonomy and religious belief, and their brutal attacks on women journalists, they will risk breaking themselves from the rest of the world
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