The sight of the Taliban taking down the Afghan flag in Kabul was one of the most shocking scenes Zohal Noorzayee, an Afghan-American Chapman student, said she’s ever witnessed. Though she watched the events unfold on her phone screen from thousands of miles away, Noorzayee and her immigrant parents were no less concerned about what the usurpation could mean for their home country.

The United States completed its military evacuation Aug. 30, ending a 20-year-long conflict initiated by President George W. Bush following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Troops affiliated with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had already withdrawn from the country back in May 2021 after signing an agreement with the Taliban February 2020. 

Human rights activists and scholars have voiced concerns about how the absence of foreign allies may negatively impact women’s rights in Afghanistan.

“Right now, the Taliban are saying all the right stuff in the media, because all eyes are on them,” said Noorzayee, a sophomore political science major. “They're saying ‘women can go to work’ (or) ‘women can get educated’ ... I personally believe it's just a bunch of propaganda, and they're just trying to look like they're these new and improved version. And then once all eyes are off them, they're gonna go back to who they are — corrupt, greedy, and just manipulating religion for their personal benefits.”

Noorzayee has been utilizing social media to share resources for people to learn about the situation in Afghanistan or find ways to help. 

Noorzayee raised a total of $700 in donations via Venmo over a span of three days from fellow Chapman students, friends and family by publicizing her fundraising efforts through social media. The proceeds were given to the Panah Charity Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing humanitarian aid to underprivileged Afghans living in Afghanistan. She also currently serves on the education committee for the Afghan American Foundation, helping to enroll kids into public schools when they arrive in the U.S.

According to Heather Barr, the associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, women and girls became “virtual prisoners” without “autonomy or right to participate in public life,” when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s.

“When the Taliban were in power from 1996 to 2001, they instituted incredibly oppressive policies toward women,” Barr said. “They pretty much banned all girls' education. They banned almost all women's employment with an exception for some women who worked in the healthcare sector. Women were obliged to wear a burqa whenever they left the house, and they were not allowed to leave the house at all without a male family member as a chaperone.”

While the Taliban have now reopened primary education schools for grades one to six, they have not reopened secondary schools. Women’s rights activists have expressed their skepticism, considering the Taliban’s 1996-2001 ban on women attending school or being employed.

Barr said activists are fighting to address the issue of violence against women by advocating for the passage of legislation and creation of women’s shelters, specialized prosecution units and courts. However, she says these systems have been dismantled as a result of the crisis.

“Women's rights activists in Afghanistan fought very hard to set up a system to address violence against women,” Barr said. “There's no recourse at all now for women and girls who are facing violence.” 

Recently, the Taliban announced their political and ministry positions. No women were appointed to any seat in their government. Previously, women have served in many political and non-political sectors of Afghanistan’s government.

Despite clear threats to their safety, women in Afghanistan have not remained quiet.

“(We’ve) seen footage of Afghan women standing up on the streets of Kabul … going on demonstrations and marches for liberty, for protection, for women being allowed to go back to the offices and schools,” said Wida Amir, a member of the board of directors for the Afghan American Foundation (AAF). “There have been reports of the women being beaten by the Taliban on the streets while they're marching. So, clearly, the message (the Taliban) are sending out to the world ... is that they have not changed, and that they will continue to oppress women's rights.”

In the wake of these events, many have called on neighboring countries, organizations and the international community at large to take action. 80% of the Afghan government's budget was coming from the U.S and international donors prior to the Taliban’s takeover.

“The United States and the international community have some leverage to rein in the Taliban if the new government truly wants to be recognized on the international stage, and if the new government wants to receive the support it needs in economic development and other necessary infrastructure to support nation building,” said Mona Shadia, a Chapman political science professor. 

Shadia added that the United States could potentially return to help Afghanistan in the future,  under the condition non-governmental organizations be allowed in the country to monitor the treatment of women and to empower Afghans to revitalize their society’s social structure. 

“We have to remember the standard is not whether or not the Taliban are better than they were in 2001,” Barr said. “The standard is that Afghanistan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination in 2003, and under that convention, the Afghan government, including the Taliban … are obliged to ensure full gender equality. So, as long as their practices are falling short of full gender equality, ... they are violating their obligations under international law.”

The conversation surrounding how women’s rights have been affected by the Taliban’s recent governance have raised questions about the results of the war itself. 

“We can not export democracy,” Shadia said. “I think we can support democratic values, and the organizations that rise from the bottom up and rise in a way that supports that culture and society in the way that works for them best. We should not assume that our democracy is the best type of democracy or a one that would work on everyone.”

With the military evacuation now over, the international community is faced with a new challenge: a refugee crisis. The Biden administration said it is seeking $6.4 billion to process and assist Afghan refugees overseas. The money will also be used toward plans to bring 65,000 Afghans to the U.S. by the end of September and up to 30,000 additional Afghans over the next 12 months.

Amir told The Panther the AAF — a centralized hub that works on policy advocacy issues affecting the Afghan American diaspora — has shifted its focus to bringing in refugees who have been evacuated from Kabul to the local areas of Northern Virginia, the West Coast, New Jersey and other locations. 

“We are looking at close to 50,000 or more Afghans who are now displaced; they are torn apart from their homes, their countries, their families — (their) siblings, children, mothers and fathers,” Amir said. “The Afghan American Foundation is going to work very closely and strategically to make sure that policies moving forward … will be fair to these displaced populations now.” 

The organization will continue to monitor domestic affairs in Afghanistan affecting those who choose to stay or who have no option to leave the country.

“We will continue to advocate on behalf of the people in (Afghanistan),” Amir said. “There are (over) 30 million people in Afghanistan, who are living in their country — they don't want to leave. They want to speak their language and live in their culture, but they want to live in peace. How can we ensure that happens, particularly when it comes to foreign policy and bilateral policy between other countries or neighboring countries?”