Although the conditions for women have improved since Taliban rule was toppled, Afghan women still face many risks. The country topped the poll for the health risks, nonsexual violence, and economic discrimination that confront Afghan women. It’s unclear whether any gains made for women’s rights will be sustained when the US leaves in the next couple of years.
Ongoing conflict, NATO airstrikes and cultural practices combined make Afghanistan a very dangerous place for women," said Clementina Cantoni, a Pakistan-based aid worker with ECHO, the European Commission's humanitarian aid department.
"In addition, women who do attempt to speak out or take on public roles that challenge ingrained gender stereotypes of what's acceptable for women to do or not, such as working as policewomen or news broadcasters, are often intimidated or killed."
TrustLaw reports that women have a 1 in 11 chance of dying in childbirth and 87 percent of women are illiterate. The problems faced by women are compounded by violence, corruption, and poverty. And while the country has made efforts to include women in politics, partially via a quota for female members of parliament, their ability to work and their personal lives are still tightly controlled by their families and husbands, as well as by cultural norms.
