August 15^th marked one year since the Taliban took control of the Afghanistan government. Today, millions of Afghan citizens are going hungry, the rights of women and girls are severely restricted, and there are limitations on the freedom of the press. Because Afghanistan has been a war-ridden country for over two decades, its economy has suffered. In the last year, isolation from the international community has led to further economic and social issues. Girls cannot attend secondary school under Taliban rule, nor can women enter public areas without a male guardian, and there are limits on women’s work. Many peace advocates are concerned about what the future holds for those living in Afghanistan and are calling on the United Nations (UN), the United States and other countries to increase their support for Afghan citizens and to stand against the Taliban rule.

International outcry against the current state of life for women in Afghanistan has come from several different sources. Amnesty International has said that “the Taliban have decimated the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.” Heather Barr, the Associate Director of the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, has reached out to nations who have not done enough to support women’s rights in Afghanistan. She said: “if your feminist foreign policy doesn’t mean standing up and providing leadership and taking practical steps to try and address the most serious women’s rights crisis in the world right now, which is Afghanistan, what does your feminist foreign policy mean?”

The situation in Afghanistan is an ongoing crisis and seems to have been forgotten on the world stage. Given that Afghanistan is a member of the UN, the UN Human Rights Council should be holding the Taliban more accountable for their denial of human rights – especially to women and girls. Individual countries should also increase their foreign aid for Afghan citizens. This might be achieved by making exceptions to policies, such as the one held in Canada, which prohibit aid agencies from dealing with terrorists. Although this policy is common enough, it recently prevented two food containers from being sent to Afghanistan. Critics have urged Canada to be flexible and to bypass this policy in these exceptional circumstances, like many other countries have.

These events are taking place against a long background of war and insecurity in Afghanistan. The country has been in a state of conflict since 1978 and a state of war since 2001. The Taliban took control of the country one year ago after the United States withdrew all forces from the country. More information on the War in Afghanistan can be found on the OWP Crisis Index page.

Millions of people are living in oppressive and insecure conditions in Afghanistan today. Without action from the international community, the Taliban will continue their repressive rule. Afghan women and girls will be denied their right to education and many other freedoms; citizens across the country will go hungry; people will continue to live in a state of uncertainty, insecurity, and fear. After over 40 years of conflict, it is high time to work to restore a state of peace for the people of Afghanistan.