The World Health Organization (WHO) has once again declared Monkeypox a public health emergency under the International Health Regulations (2005) following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has now spread beyond the country's borders. This announcement from the WHO regarding Monkeypox, or mpox, comes on the heels of Africa’s CDC a…

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Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, who identifies as female, moved ahead Thursday following a brief match against an Italian opponent, Angela Carini, a biological female. Khelif, who is from Algeria managed to land two blows to Carini’s face, and the match was over. Carini forfeited after only 46 seconds and was clearly distraught leaving the boxing ring, refu…

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Parental rights took a major hit on Monday after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation bill into law that will prohibit school staff from disclosing students who have chosen to socially transition while on school property to their parents. Earlier this year, Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, introduced the bill through a legislative proce…

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The race to create human-like robots is advancing at a breathtaking pace, with new technologies emerging almost hourly. As innovations continue to unfold, the race to develop humanoid robots capable of performing complex tasks is intensifying, capturing the attention and imagination of researchers and enthusiasts worldwide.

In a groundbreaking developme…

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For decades food dyes and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) have been added to foods causing several health issues for the 90 million Americans who consume them. A new legislative package introduced by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) seeks to restrict the use of HFCS and color additives in food products.

Rep. Luna’s recent press release shows the p…

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Yet another synthetic drug is sweeping the country, said to be 100 times more potent than that of xylazine often referred to as the street drug Tranq. Medetomidine, an anesthetic and analgesic commonly used in veterinary surgeries has recently been found as an additive in drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, and occasionally even cocaine and methamphetamine.…

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Editor’s note: The following discusses the topic of suicide. If you or someone close to you requires support, assistance, or simply a listening ear, don't hesitate to reach out. You can access help through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 800-273-8255. Trained individuals are available round the clock to lend support and gu…

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Eric Swalwell, and Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois top the extensive list of politicians who have celebrated the upcoming May 21, 2024 release of a children’s book centered around gender identity and self-expression.

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Neurologists globally have been diligently seeking solutions for patients afflicted by stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis, aiming to facilitate communication with the external environment and restore their independence and autonomy. This fairly novel technology aims to give patients the ability to interact with digital d…

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George Alan Kelly, 75, an Arizona rancher, now begins his trial for the fatal shooting of an illegal immigrant on his property. Mr. Kelly is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of an illegal immigrant who trespassed on his property outside of Nogales, Arizona. Mr. Kelly maintains his innocence and has rejected a plea deal that would reduce …

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A new bill in Washington state was just signed into law by Democratic Governor Jay Inslee requiring LGBTQ+ history to be taught across the entire K-12 public school system. Proponents of the bill argue that students perform better when they feel safer and more represented in the classroom. Opponents of the bill argue that the emphasis is being redirecte…

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Oregon has passed House Bill 4002 which overturns the decriminalization of certain drugs, including heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine, and fentanyl. Under Measure 110 which was passed by Oregon voters in 2020, possession and consumption of illicit drugs were treated with a citation, like a traffic offense. House Bill 4002 overturns decriminalization and…

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In August 2021 the Taliban took over Afghanistan once again, taking advantage of the withdrawal of NATO troops, including the American army. Life was far from ideal before the second reign of the Taliban, but especially for women and girls, things have only worsened since. When the Taliban regained power Western politicians and media parroted the claim that there would be a so-called Taliban 2.0 which supposedly would hold women’s rights in high esteem or at least give the Islamic terror group the benefit of the doubt, playing right into the hands of the Taliban in their aim to gain recognition as Afghanistan’s new official rulers and international credibility.

Disclaimer: the Taliban spokesperson was very specific by adding that Afghani women’s rights would be respected “according to sharia.”

What exactly that is like for most females living in Afghanistan, becomes apparent from an Amnesty International report from 2022 on the harsh reality for women and girls under the Taliban. They are forced to wear the hijab (headscarf), are hardly allowed to leave their homes and under the Taliban, secondary schools are closed for girls, which basically means that from beyond eleven years old, girls' education is non-existent, just as they did when they were in power during the 1990s. These are just a few examples of gender discrimination the compilers of the report found.

There are even worse stories to be told. According to some sources, Afghan women and girls are also facing rape, forced prostitution, and sexual slavery. For example, two weeks ago, the independent Afghan newspaper Hasht-e-Subh Daily published an article on the sexual slavery of Afghan women under the Taliban. And just last week an independent inquiry called “Shattering Women’s Rights, Shattering Lives” was published in which the dire situation of Afghani and Iranian women and young girls is highlighted, including rape and forced marriage of minor girls. 

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Hazara Women

In Afghanistan, there are four major ethno-religious groups; Pashtuns, Uzbekis, Tajiks, and Hazara. The first three all follow Sunni Islam, the largest Islamic sect. The Hazara are Shiite Muslims and are highly discriminated against in Afghanistan. This is also the case with regard to sexual abuse by the Taliban of Hazara women and girls. In certain areas where there is a majority Hazara population, women and girls have been arrested for wearing their hijab in an improper manner, or so, that is the argument that is used by the Taliban. These arrests go against the Taliban’s legislation which describes that a first-time violation of the mandatory hijab ruling, should only be followed by an official warning and nothing more. One case that actually did get some media coverage lately, was that of a Hazara woman who claimed she was raped by Taliban members. After their initial denial that this actually happened, Taliban officials later confirmed she had been sexually violated by several of its members.

Gender Persecution

According to the report “Shattering Women’s Rights, Shattering Lives,” women who have been arrested and detained for not correctly wearing their hijab in the eyes of the authorities, have been subject to all sorts of torture, including rape and other forms of sexual abuse. In some cases, the torture was so severe that it even led to fatalities. The U.S. State Department’s report on Afghanistan from 2023 states that the law which should protect survivors of rape and domestic abuse was dismantled by the Taliban in 2021 when they regained power. Instead, victims of for example rape, forced marriage (including child marriage), and honor killings have not had their cases processed through the formal justice system, abandoning women and girls from recognition, support, and legal satisfaction. The State Department writes that women who reported rape or other forms of gender-based violence have been held in detention centers. On top of that Hasht-e-Subh Daily reported the alleged rape and beheading of two young girls by Taliban members in the Samangan province.

Forced Marriage 

In 2021, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, issued a decree to ban forced marriage, but there has in fact been an increase in child marriage in Afghanistan, despite this decree. According to many human rights organizations, this is always a forced marriage since children cannot give their full, free, and informed consent. In Afghanistan, like in other regions adhering strictly to sharia (Islamic Law), there isn't a set legal age for marriage as sharia doesn't establish a minimum age for marriage. There have been several reports coming out of Afghanistan that claim some parents are marrying off their daughters at a very young age to avoid the girls being forced into marriage with a member of the Taliban.

During an online panel discussion on women’s rights in Afghanistan, or rather, the lack of it, Mariam Safi (director of the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies) elaborated: “A shocking finding is that families are using marriage to protect their girls from forced marriage to Taliban fighters.”

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Rape and Sexual Slavery

According to a 2023 report from the U.S. State Department, the Taliban has not reported taking any measures to prevent or combat human trafficking and there have not been any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions for people involved in trafficking. It is clear that women and children are highly vulnerable under the Taliban, which becomes apparent when human traffickers go unpunished. The State Department claims that the bacha bazi practice, meaning the sexual abuse of young boys, has increased in recent years. Often the perpetrators are Taliban members, including high-ranked commanders. 

An article was written by Clare Morell and Anne Basham for the Washington Times back in 2021, shortly after the Taliban take-over, in which they reported that the Taliban rounded up households in search of young girls for their members, either for “marriage” or to force them into sex slavery. To attract men to join the Taliban, women, and girls are put forward as a recruitment strategy, and, on top of that, the selling of women and girls is highly beneficial to fund and fuel Taliban operations as well as to build their economic power. Kidnapping and human trafficking are used, not only by the Taliban but also by other extremist groups, such as ISIS and Boko Haram, to earn money and gain or increase their power.

Hasht-e-Subh Daily further reported that a female doctor and her husband were taken to a place by the Taliban where 28 young women were being held. They were ordered to examine every single one of these women, seeing whether they might be pregnant, ill, or any other problems they may have. Apart from the sexual slavery, the doctor also noticed signs of torture such as bruises and cigarette burns. The women said they had to sleep with several men. 

International Recognition 

The Taliban are still not recognized as the official government of Afghanistan even after their successful take-over in the summer of 2021, however, some neighboring countries and Russia have sustained their ties with the Taliban. Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s representative to Afghanistan, said in 2023 that there is an understanding among Afghanistan’s immediate neighbors to simultaneously rather than unilaterally recognize the Taliban regime at some point in the future. The Taliban itself is doing all it can to gain international recognition (although they brag they don’t need it), by visiting Indonesia in 2023, for example, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Abdul Bari Omar, a senior member of the Taliban, visited several European countries such as the Netherlands during a World Health Organization meeting which was held in The Hague. Omar also attended a mosque in the German town of Cologne. During Omar’s visit to the Netherlands, the Taliban official was even seen posing for a picture with the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Dr. Ernst Kuipers. Much to the shame of the Dutch official, Omar posted the picture on his 𝕏 account (formerly known as Twitter) which caused Kuipers then to deny he knew who Omar was.

From the beginning of the Taliban’s take-over in August of 2021, Afghanistan’s anti-Taliban forces have asked the international community not to recognize the extremist group as the official government of the country. Under the Taliban, we have witnessed an increase in violation of women’s rights, children’s rights, human trafficking, and other crimes against humanity. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make the headlines, and the media and political focus has shifted to the Israel-Gaza conflict, perhaps this could lead to a later recognition of the Taliban, which may not be far away.

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