Women have been stripped of their freedom, dignity and livelihoods. The international community must heed their demands<\/p>\n
Women barely feature in Hollywoodgate, the chilling and remarkable documentary<\/a> on the Taliban currently showing in selected cinemas. Three years after their fighters marched back into Kabul in August 2021, this absence tells its own story of systematic marginalisation and subjugation.<\/p>\n The Taliban\u2019s war against girls and women has intensified. Deprived of education, work and even the opportunity to walk in parks or visit public baths, half of Afghanistan<\/a>\u2019s population live especially shrunken and fearful lives. The Taliban\u2019s rule is not merely a cruel and humiliating blow to their rights and dignity, but an existential threat. In a May report<\/a>, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, quoted one woman: \u201cI was the breadwinner and now [I] have no job, no income and my children are asking for food, I have no choice but to consider suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters<\/a> section, please click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n