Women’s rights have grown steadily throughout the international presence in Afghanistan, but the Taliban’s return threatens this progress.
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According to the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), at least 900,000 Afghans have lost their jobs since the Taliban took control last August.
Working women are disproportionately affected, according to SIGAR, with women’s employment expected to fall by 21 percent by mid-2022, reported The Khaama Press. Since the Taliban took power, unemployment has skyrocketed, and poverty across many parts of the country has put millions of people at risk.
According to the International Labour Organization, more than 500,000 Afghan workers lost their jobs in the third quarter of 2021, and the number of people who will lose their jobs since the Taliban took control is expected to reach 700,000 to 900,000 people by mid-2022, reported Khaama Press.
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Due to four decades of conflict, severe drought, and pandemics, Afghanistan’s economy was already collapsing.
After the Taliban seized power following the hasty withdrawal of US soldiers, the international community froze Afghanistan’s assets and withheld help.
Moreover, women work, and especially female breadwinners, have struggled to make ends meet since the Taliban took control. Female employees in government offices are currently housed in the majority of cases, reported Khaama Press.
Women’s rights have grown steadily throughout the international presence in Afghanistan, but the Taliban’s return threatens this progress.
The recent Taliban’s burqa imposition on Afghan women is a case in point.
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