Freedom. The core value of the United States of America. We have become so comfortable, so used to that value, that we, as a society, forget that not everyone has the basic right called freedom. Freedom to speak, to move, to think what one truly thinks. The brutal reality of women in Afghanistan is the opposite of the reality of America. Women in Afghanistan are not allowed to speak, they are not allowed to hold a job, to go outside, unless they are in the presence of a man, of course. Women may not hold office, they cannot vote, and they must cover their entire bodies with a burka.
Consequently, these burkas are the only thing protecting Afghan women who make music from being arrested. In 2002, the band “Burka Blue” formed, and they wrote and sang songs about how horrible it truly was. “My mother wears a burka. My father does it too. I have to wear a burka. The burka, it is blue…My auntie wears a burka. My uncle does it too. My sister doesn’t like it. But she wears it, too.” The cruel irony is that the Afghan government is unable to find the women who sang this song because of the burka. With the burka concealing their entire bodies and faces, the women are protected from the government. The thing oppressing them is their only protection. It is cruel, and it is inhumane. The necessity to wear the burka is one of the lesser oppressions imposed on the Afghan women.
Firstly, child marriage is now legal with supposed consent from the child; silence is considered consent. These marriages happen at the age of 6 or even younger. Six. Years. Old. But of course, only under the assumption that the child can request a divorce at the age of 9, only if she is a virgin, and is actually brave enough to stand up to her ADULT husband, and a board of Taliban judges. Be realistic, what nine-year-old girl is going to request a divorce from a room full of men who believe her worth to be abysmally low? This decree sets a trap for these children; they are forced into a marriage with practically no way out of it. The only reason the clause about when they turn nine is included is to present these children with false hope. The same law also prevents women from having their husband be declared deceased, even if they have been missing for decades.
Afghan women are also prohibited from holding almost any job, including working in the administration, security forces, banks, NGOs, or United Nations humanitarian agencies. They are also prevented from serving as prosecutors, judges, members of the parliament, or even running a beauty salon. If a woman does manage to obtain a job, she must be accompanied to and from work by a man, either her father, brother, or husband. In August of 2024, a survey was conducted among the women of Afghanistan asking them if they felt they had influence over the decisions made in their home and community. The outcome was astonishing, 98% of women in Afghanistan felt they had almost no influence over the decisions made within their communities. In addition, the number of Afghan women who felt they had influence over the decisions made in their home has dropped by about 60% during 2024. Alison Davidian, UN Women Country Representative in Afghanistan, said, “To give some context, three years ago an Afghan woman could technically decide to run for president. Now, she may not even be able to decide when to go and buy groceries.”
Perhaps one of the most abysmal laws set in place for these women is the law that restricts them from pursuing education beyond secondary school, or beyond the age of 12. The Taliban government has shut down every single alternative education system that the Afghan women have sought to extend the education they receive. These alternative opportunities include private language academics or vocational schools run by humanitarian organizations. Students are constantly complaining about having to go to school, but at least girls in the United States are allowed to attend school. They are able to learn about the country’s history, how things like gravity and genetics work, and how to solve various equations. The Afghan women do not even get that opportunity; they don’t get to complain about having to wake up early for school, because they don’t have it, and they don’t have it because the men who run the country believe them to be useless. That’s what the government wants them to think, that since they are women, they are useless; the truth is that they are scared. The men who pull all the strings are scared of what those women would be able to do, given education and freedom. The Taliban government knows that these women would prove themselves to be worth all the money in the world, and they are terrified.
Since June, more than 120,000 children have been displaced because of this cruelty. Recently, the issue has finally come to light on social media. Users have been spreading the message to change their profile picture to the color blue as a way to spread awareness for these women. Many people wonder how these kinds of trends serve to raise awareness. Eighth grader Annie Bandagale said, “They raise awareness in subtle ways because everyone’s gonna know your profile picture, like if someone sees someone with a blue profile picture, they can ask why is your profile picture blue, and then they can explain to that person, and that will spread awareness to other people who may be confused.”
Society has seen many examples of these protests to spread awareness, Student Assistance Counselor (SAC) Melissa Wilson said, “This type of movement, where people change their profile picture to stand up in solidarity, has happened throughout the digital age since social media has come to light. Some of them were actually fake organizations, too, so there were hashtags and movements to help people in other countries who didn’t need help. They were fake.”
So, while often the events that are brought to light on social media are real, such as the Afghan women, it is always imperative to do proper research before you do what the videos say you should do. The movements are important, but making sure you confirm before just going with the crowd is more important. If you know a movement is fake, you are then able to also spread the truth on social media.
It is so easy to take the basic right of freedom given in America for granted because it is all its citizens have ever known. While American students are complaining about school and scrolling on social media, Afghan women are fighting for the right to exist in their own homes, to learn, be valued, and to be heard. The harsh differences between these two realities must be a reminder to all people that freedom is a fragile concept and can be taken away simply by a majority vote. Freedom is by no means universal and is not a secure concept. The bare minimum citizens can do with their freedom is to make sure the women of Afghanistan are never forgotten.
