12/02/2001
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09562

NEW HOPE FOR AFGHAN WOMEN

The brutal Taleban regime and the al-Qaida terrorist network it sponsored are now in retreat throughout Afghanistan. And the Afghan people -- especially women -- are rejoicing.

Those women have long known what the rest of the world is discovering -- that the brutal oppression of women in Afghanistan was a central goal of the terrorists. As First Lady Laura Bush said, "The fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women."

Women traditionally suffered disadvantages in Afghan society. But before the rise of the Taleban, a limited but growing number of women worked outside the home. There were female lawyers, government officials, and doctors. But after the Taleban took power in 1996, the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan deteriorated rapidly.

Life under Taleban rule was hard and repressive for all, but particularly for women and girls. Women in their homes were not supposed to be visible from the street. The Taleban required that homes with female occupants have their windows painted over. They eliminated most formal opportunities for girls’ education. The Taleban forbade women, except some health care workers, to work outside the home. Women were even forbidden from leaving home unless accompanied by a male relative.

The Taleban and the al-Qaida network have now been routed from most of Afghanistan, and the groups that defeated them are working to create a new government. But there is understandable apprehension on the part of many Afghan women. They worry whether a new government will respect their rights and give them hope and opportunity.

The post-Taleban government in Afghanistan must respect the rights of all. As Laura Bush said, "Fighting brutality against women and children is not the expression of a specific culture; it is the acceptance of our common humanity -- a commitment shared by people of good will on every continent."

The new government should lift restrictions on women’s mobility and their access to health care, employment, and education. Afghanistan should establish a broad-based, multi-ethnic, and representative government. In the words of First Lady Laura Bush, "The stability of Afghanistan -- and the stability of the region -- is very dependent on making sure that human rights are a very clear part of the new government, and [that includes] human rights for women and children."