A video has emerged on social media in which a man was seen getting flogged by Talibs for allegedly stealing a mobile phone. The video is said to be from this weekend. The man kept on screaming in agonising pain while getting publicly flogged. The incident took place in front of the education ministry in Kabul. He was struck multiple times on his shoulders with a whip while being tied to a traffic signal.
The Taliban are punishing the thief#ToDayinAfg pic.twitter.com/Ll07MtbrDD
— Hamza Dawar (@HamzaDawar0) September 18, 2021
Ban on women from coming for work
From last Monday, the ban of women from coming out for work has come to effect. Though the Taliban had “promised” it would have a more moderate government compared to the 1990s, the reality is far different from what they had said. AFP quoted a woman who said she used to work as a senior officer at the ministry of foreign affairs. She said, “I was in charge of a whole department, and there were many women working with me… now we have all lost our jobs.”
The acting mayor also announced that all the posts that were held by the women in the municipal corporation would be soon filled by men. While male students and teachers have been asked to rejoin the schools, millions of girls and women’s academic futures remain in the dark. Reportedly, the ministry of women’s affairs has also been replaced with the ministry ‘for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice’. Notably, during the 1990s, the said ministry was responsible for imposing Islamic rules in the country. It imposed the harshest Sharia punishments, including executions and amputations.
No meaningful employment for women
As the Taliban is increasing restrictions on women, Afghan women now fear that they will not have any meaningful employment. In the past 20 years, these women had fought for their rights and got a chance to secure a better future as lawmakers, judges, police officers etc. Though such employments were limited to large cities, things were getting better for women in Afghanistan. Now, with the Taliban back in power, the future seems bleak.
Strict Sharia laws
With strict Sharia laws being imposed in the country, such scenes of public flogging and even execution may soon become common in Afghanistan.