By: Mia Holmberg Karlsson/TT
Published: Less than 30 min ago
Contraception is a Western conspiracy to control the Muslim population, the Taliban claim. Now they go door to door and threaten midwives and pharmacists.
– They came to my shop twice with weapons and threatened me because I wouldn’t sell contraceptives, says a pharmacist in the capital to The Guardian newspaper, adding that the Taliban now regularly visit Kabul’s pharmacies.
Contraceptive sales are now said to have completely ceased in Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif, two of the largest cities in Afghanistan, on the orders of the Taliban.
A midwife says she was told by a Taliban commander not to “encourage Western methods of population control”. Another says that she has never before in her career felt as insecure as now.
Last hope gone
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the rights and freedom of movement of women and girls have been severely tightened. Women no longer have the right to higher education, are not allowed to work in what they want and not leave their homes without restrictions. The ban on contraceptives represents another hard blow to women in Afghanistan – a country whose healthcare is largely already in ruins after the Taliban took power.
With the ban, 17-year-old Zainab’s last hope to decide her future has died. Zainab, who has a 1.5-year-old daughter, secretly used contraception to avoid getting pregnant too close to her daughter’s birth.
– I want to raise my daughter the right way with proper medical care and education, but my dreams were shattered last week when the midwife said she had no birth control pills to give me, she says.
– I left school to get married and I don’t want my daughter’s fate to be the same. I want to give her a different future.
Strengthen women’s empowerment
Human rights organizations around the world are calling on the Taliban to join the international agreements that guarantee sexual and reproductive health care.
– Access to contraception and the right to family planning is not just a matter of human rights; it is also central to empowering women and lifting the country out of poverty, says British-based Afghan activist Shabnam Nasimi to The Guardian.
According to Human Rights Watch, Afghan women had difficulty accessing maternity care and family planning even before the Taliban came to power. Now the situation is becoming increasingly bleak.
Facts
The Taliban regime and women
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban will regain power in Afghanistan. At first, it claims to respect people’s rights and freedoms and distance itself from the strict regime that ruled 1996–2001. Girls will be allowed to go to school and women to work as soon as a “safe environment” has been arranged, the Taliban promise.
On September 8, Taliban spokesman Ahmadullah Wasiq declares that women’s sports are not permitted according to Islam. The issue is brought to the fore by Afghanistan’s men’s national cricket team planning an international match against Australia – which requires the country to have a women’s national team.
On September 28, the Taliban announced that female students and teachers may no longer work at Kabul University.
On March 28, 2022, the Taliban orders airlines in Afghanistan to deny entry to women unless escorted by a male relative.
On November 10, women are prohibited from visiting public parks and amusement grounds. A few days later, the ban is extended to gyms and bathhouses.
On December 24, the Taliban regime stops NGOs from having female employees, with some exceptions.
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