Lesson Plan #1 - Sample Article
Note: We recommend that you print this article
and distribute it to your students.
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATED IN AFGHANISTAN
By Jena Cole, SNN Co-editor , Cole Harbour
High School, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
United Nations officials say women's
human rights are violated in Afghanistan. "We found official
widespread systemic violations of the human rights of women in
the Taliban areas of Afghanistan" said Radhika Coomaraswany,
UN special rapporteur.
In 1996, when the Talibans conquered southern
Afghanistan, they were considered gentle scholars. The Taliban
are a group of soldiers trained in Pakistani Islamic Schools
who profess to be soldiers of pure, fundamentalist Islam and
the saviors of all Muslims. The Taliban's brand of Islam has
been termed un-Islamic and condemned by most Muslim scholars
and countries. Though most countries recognize the Taliban because
of their human rights abuses, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia support
the Taliban with money and supplies. Taliban means, paradoxically,
"students and scholars". It was thought that they
were bringing peace to a war-weary population. Now less than
two years after taking over Kabul, the Afghanistan capital, the
Talibs are considered by the people to be more of an occupying
force to the people than a government.
"Is there no one in the Muslim world
to stop the cruel Taliban from killing innocent people? Who will
give me the justice?", an Afghan woman wrote to a Pakistani
newspaper.
Under the Taliban rule women are stripped
of their basic rights. The Taliban follow a strict version of
Islam that bars women from work and education, forces men to
wear beards, and bans all light entertainment, including music.
Women are forced to wear burkas, a head-to-toe cloak covering
their entire bodies, with a small mesh opening for the face.
In public, women must be escorted by a close male relative. A
Taliban representative speaking from the Attorney General's
office in Kabul explained the edict to journalists: "The
face of a woman is a source of corruption for men who are not
related to them". The windows of the homes of widowed women
are painted black so that men cannot see inside.
When the Talibans came to rule, women were
forced from their jobs. Despite a shortage of doctors, qualified
women are not permitted to practice. Instead, the women treat
patients in fear, in back alleys, in basements, wherever the
harsh Talibs won't catch them. Male doctors are not permitted
to treat women, even in extreme circumstances. Many women are
left to die because they do not have access to one of the few
women's hospitals. There are few places where women doctors are
allowed to practice. These hospitals are out of the way, and
are impossible to get to in an emergency. They lack essential
equipment and maternity wards consist of a few beds. Doctors
are not permitted to coach in the birth of babies; birthing women
are left alone.
Female children over the age of eight are
not allowed to go to school. Home school is also forbidden to
these girls. The Talibans believe sending girls to school is
shameful. In their minds, they are protecting the honor of women,
not infringing on their rights. Women and men are stoned to death
on the suspicion that they may have committed adultery and persons
accused of homosexuality are also punished by death.
Punishment for not obeying Taliban rule
is harsh. Women are routinely stoned to death for traveling with
a man who is not their close relative. Women have been beaten
by the hundreds for not being dressed properly. This means a
public beating if a strand of hair, a wrist, or an ankle shows
from beneath the burka. Women have been shot for leaving their
homes without a male escort. This includes emergencies such
as need of immediate medical care. Those convicted of stealing
under the Talibans have their hands amputated. Convicted killers
are executed by the relatives of their victims, who also have
the authority under Islam to forgive the criminal and accept
blood money instead.
Those convicted of homosexuality are placed
in front of a brick wall and a tank knocks down the wall. After
30 minutes, the rubble is removed and anyone who survives is
acquitted.
Since the Taliban took control of Kabul
in September 1996, they have been calling for international recognition
of their administration. Following the Taliban's capture of Kabul,
Pakistan became the first country to officially recognize the
Taliban administration as the government of Afghanistan.
Pakistan is known to support the Taliban
and many observers believe that this includes military assistance,
despite Pakistan's denial of such assertions. Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates also formally recognized the Taliban
administration as the government in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia
is believed to support the ultra-conservative Sunni militia as
a counterweight to the influence of Shiite Iran in the region.
Iran and the neighbouring Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) have also backed parties in the coalition opposed to the
Taliban.
The Talibans are claiming to be a government.
This makes them responsible to adhere to the International Human
Rights Treaties. Afghanistan has previously approved these treaties
including, the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Cultural, and
Social Rights; and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The civilian population of Afghanistan
has suffered many human rights abuses. Lasting peace and stability
will not be achieved unless those who wield power respect the
fundamental human rights of all Afghanistan's tribal, ethnic
and social groups, including women.