Zoey Rich

Humanities 10, Sara Price

Model United Nations, The Inhumane treatment of women in Afghanistan
January 27, 2023

Background

The inhumane treatment of women in Afghanistan has reached a critical

point in the recovery of the Taliban dictatorship back in August of 2021. Women
have lost the right to live freely and are imprisoned in their own homes. The
violations in human rights are very unlawful.
Originally in 1996 when the Taliban first gained dictatorship; woman were
stripped from their rights and the abuse of power had been put in place. Women
were banned from going to school, working, leaving their homes without a male
chaperone, showing their skin in public, healthcare by a male, and voting. Women
are held prisoner in their own homes, and forced to cover in a full body veil
(burqa) and whipped if they do not concur with the law.
But hope did eventually occur; in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the US
immediately responded by invading Afghanistan looking for the leader
Osama-Bin laden which indeed caused a war between NATO and the Taliban.
6,000 troops and contractors, 1,100 NATO troops, and 47,000 citizens were killed
in the war; but it has been believed that tens of thousands of Taliban soldiers died,
they were out militarized and the dictatorship was rightfully returned to the
Afghan government with the help of the UN. And a Additional 73,000 Taliban
soldiers have been killed between 2007 and 2020. In 2009 Afghanistan adopted
the “Elimination of Violence Against Women Act'' to provide equality. Women
started returning to their education and careers and all seemed well.
In 2021, the peace was lost and the Taliban regained their power of Afghan
and all women were forced into the hostile environments they were in once
before, as if they were slaves. Over 700,000 jobs were lost (90% of Afghans jobs)
and the economy shrunk by 30%. It is said that 1 in 3 kids in Afghanistan are
malnourished and 18 million are in dire need on the side of the UN. Over 200
Journalistic companies have been shut down and journalists are punished so no
news can leave, even though it has.
 Protests have been put to an end forcefully and those who engage are
severely punished; perhaps even executed. 300,000 citizens have fled and child
marriage rates have increased due to this extreme abuse in power. The Rape and
Violence of women is completely overlooked and very common. As of today, the
Taliban is still in control with no countries wanting to fight them; the casualties are
going to consist of mass population and fear of the Taliban. The question remains,
what can we do?

UN involvement

Resolution 2626 was voted in favor in a 14 to 1 vote on March 17, 2022. The
resolution pushes the deadline back of UN involvement to March 17, 2023. “The
mission will focus on coordinating the provision of humanitarian assistance,
providing outreach and good offices for dialogue, and promoting good governance
and the rule of law.” (Kokic and Naseri) The goal promotes gender equality,
promotes human rights, and reporting incidents with citizens. This plan also helps
bring the right nutrition to Afghans as well as aid to families who are in severe
need. No war between the Taliban and the UN has been reported. In conclusion,
the UN’s priority is staying and delivering any assistance necessary to improve the
quality of life, mentally and physically within Afghanistan.

Why is it Essential We Resolve This Conflict

A extreme crisis such as the inhumane treatment against woman to the

point of extreme torture to force Islamic beliefs is unstable. It is only right to step
in as a barrier to protect anyone that is affected by the manipulative nature the
Taliban’s power is abusing. No one should be owned, abused, and imprisoned in
their own homes for a forced belief.

Possible Solutions
*Using military force against the Taliban, and provide Afghan with a strong
government
*Providing support for Afghans to fight back if willing
*Providing Refuge for those who escaped for their own safety
*Providing resources, aid, nutrition and clean water to Afghans

Questions we should be asking

How can we drive the Taliban away forever?

How can we minimize the deaths of UN members and Afghan Citizens?
How can we ensure women will not be discriminated against?
How can we ensure women's safety and healthcare?
How can we improve human rights in Afghanistan?
How can we emphasize the effectiveness of aid?

Bibliography

“Women in Afghanistan: The Back Story.” Amnesty International, 24 November

2022, https://www.amnesty.org.uk/womens-rights-afghanistan-history.
Accessed 25 January 2023.
“Afghanistan: Women Protesters Detail Taliban Abuse.” Human Rights Watch, 20
October 2022,
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/20/afghanistan-women-protesters-de
tail-taliban-abuse. Accessed 26 January 2023.
Nguyen, Hoa, et al. “The Taliban in Afghanistan.” Council on Foreign Relations, 19
January 2023, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan.
Accessed 25 January 2023.
“S/RES/2626 (2022) Security Council.” UNAMA, 17 March 2022,
https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/res_2626_2022_e.pdf.
Accessed 25 January 2023.
Kokic, Marko, and Sadeq Naseri. “Security Council votes to bolster UN priorities
in Afghanistan.” UN News, 17 March 2022,
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114132. Accessed 25 January 2023.
“The United Nations intends to remain in Afghanistan.” UNRIC.org, 18 August
2021,
https://unric.org/en/the-united-nations-intends-to-remain-in-afghanistan/
. Accessed 26 January 2023.