Did you know that 9 million Afghan women and girls have no human rights?

• Women and girls are forbidden to go to school or work outside of the home.
• Women and girls may not leave their homes without a male relative.
• Women are forced to wear a head-to-toe covering called a "burqa" with only a small mesh opening through which to breathe and see.
• Women have been beaten and killed for not being properly covered or escorted.
• The windows of homes occupied by women must be painted to prevent women from being seen.
• Health care for Afghan women and girls is virtually non-existent since male doctors may not care for female patients.
• Women are forbidden from speaking in public.
• Pubescent girls and women are prohibited from speaking to males who are not close relatives.

How did this happen?

• On September 27, 1996, the Taliban, an extremist militia claiming to be Islamic fundamentalists, seized power in a violent takeover of the government.
• The Taliban government instituted its sexist policy under the guise of religious observance.

Before the Taliban takeover, Afghan women were:

• 60% of teachers at Kabul University
• 50% of students at Kabul University
• 50% of civilian the government workforce
• 70% of school teachers
• 40% of doctors

The Taliban is fundamentally wrong!

• The Taliban government's persecution in the name of religion is false. Their laws against women and girls have no foundation in Islam. Islamic religions around the world allow women and girls to work, go to school and have basic human rights.
• While the Taliban claims religious purity, Afghanistan grows 40% of the world's opium supply. Since the Taliban's takeover, opium production has increased 25%.

The attacks against women and girls are bad for everybody!

• There has been a devastating effect on tens of thousands of families because many women in Afghanistan are widows and were the sole source of income for their families.
• Since women are prohibited from working, many schools have been closed down because of a teacher shortage.

Information source: National Organization for Women; www.now.org