Introduction
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark agreement produced during the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. This declaration framed a vision for achieving gender equality throughout the world while also addressing the barriers that hold women and girls back throughout society. However, three decades later, aspirations adopted in the agreement have remained a pressing issue, especially when considering the situation for women and girls in Afghanistan, where gender equality has faced significant setbacks in recent years.
The Beijing Declaration and its Framework for Change
The Beijing Declaration is a comprehensive outline for advancing gender equality and empowering the growth of women’s role in society worldwide. The resolution identifies twelve critical areas of concern; among its key objectives were:
- Reducing the female illiteracy rate to half its 1990 level with a focus on marginalized women (Article 81.a).
- Ensure universal primary education for girls by 2000 and achieve gender parity in education (Article 81.b).
- Enhancing women’s leadership opportunities across all sectors (Article 83.h).
- Increasing funding for the education and training of women (Article 86.a).
- Condemning violence against women and eliminating discriminatory practices (Articles 124. a, 124.e).
- Promoting women’s economic empowerment through equitable access to land, credit, and property rights (Article 166.c).
While progress has been made in several areas throughout the world, gender equality gaps still exist, most notably in Afghanistan.
Women in Afghanistan: Deepening Gender Gaps
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August of 2021, the country has seen the rights of women severely erode. Despite the Beijing Declaration’s emphasis on women’s education, economic empowerment, and the elimination of violence against women, there is a severe contrast between this theoretical framework and the reality of lives for women and girls in Afghanistan today.
- Educational Barriers
Under Taliban rule, access to education for girls has suffered significantly, with bans against women attaining secondary education and universities being imposed. In a UNESCO report, “As a result of bans imposed by the de facto authorities, at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since 2021” (UNESCO). It can also be noted in this report that although female students are permitted to attend primary school below the age of 12, attendance for girls in this age group has also significantly dropped. The objective of the Beijing Declaration to provide universal access to primary education (Article 81.b) and reduce illiteracy rates (Article 81.a) presents as an unattainable goal in the light of Afghanistan’s current climate, due to efforts to access education have been stifled by the Taliban regime.
- Economic Marginalization
Women in Afghanistan additionally face systematic exclusion from the workforce, with policies that are increasingly confining women to domestic roles. Systematically, Afganistani women have been stripped of their economic independence. Women-owned businesses have been forcibly closed by the government and women have been barred from many jobs, leaving few employment opportunities such as health and teaching available to women. Women continue to be sidelined from economic avenues as gender discrimination in the workforce increases, plummeting the number of women participating in the workforce. This contacts the declaration’s vision of female empowerment through access to resources and equal opportunities (Article 166.c). As the Taliban continues to implement strict policies, prohibiting access to equal employment opportunities, women in Afghanistan face limited ability to achieve financial and economic independence.
- Violence and Discrimination
In Afghanistan, there has been a dramatic increase in violence and discrimination being faced by women. Early marriages, forced marriages, restrictions to mobility and autonomy, and violence have all significantly escalated in the country. It has been reported by multiple UN agencies that these acts have been committed with impunity. Under the Taliban, the institutional framework of support for survivors of gender-based violence has been dissolved, leaving victims at increased risk for further abuse and harm. Additionally, the Taliban has invoked religious and cultural justifications to curb women’s rights and safety, which directly violated Article 124. a; the provision that commits countries to refrain from using such pretexts to avoid protecting women.
- Leadership Deficit
In contrast to Article 83.h, which advocates for leadership training and civic participation, women in Afghanistan have been significantly marginalized from political and social life. In Afghanistan, women are actively barred from public and political life, being forcibly removed from any position of power. This deliberate and systematic exclusion of women undermines their capability to make decisions, losing their ability to advocate and influence policy that impacts them and their communities.
30 Years Later: What Can Be Done?
The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration served as a call to reaffirm global commitments to women’s rights, particularly in areas of intense crisis such as Afghanistan. The situation being faced by Afghanistani women requires governments, international organizations, and advocacy groups to take actionable steps in approaching this critical issue. The international community should actively advocate for the reversal of the Taliban’s harmful policies and practices through diplomatic channels, sanctions, and incentives which will compel compliance with human rights as outlined in the Declaration (Article 124.e). Additionally, the international community should work to both develop assistance programs for Afghanistani women and amplify Afghanistani women’s voices on the global stage.
As the world reflects on the Beijing Declaration and its principles for promoting gender equality across the globe, it is clear that progress in Afghanistan is hindered by harmful policies implemented by the Taliban. The resolution to this crisis, however, hinges on the collective response by the international community. The resolution to this situation is not only for the benefit of women in Afghanistan but serves as a requirement for sustainable global peace, as emphasized in Article 181. The international community must recommit to the framework as outlined in the Beijing Declaration; promising that Afghanistani women, and women of the globe, have access to full equality and opportunity to function independently in all spheres of society and personal life.
Written by Ava Buonanno
Sources
https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/pdf/BDPfA%20E.pdf
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/afghanistan/report-afghanistan/
https://www.usip.org/publications/2015/09/womens-leadership-roles-afghanistan
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