THE Taliban took the Afghanistan capital Kabul 166 days ago.
The last five months have seen a tightening of secular rights and the propagation of religious standards.
Hard-won women’s rights were especially under fire.
Immediately after the takeover, the Taliban told women who worked in the government and other institutions not to come to work.
Since then, on the back of further intimidation tactics, most women have dropped out of the workforce.
In September, the Women’s Affairs Ministry was abolished.
In November, the Taliban banned women from appearing on television shows and movies.
In December, women were banned from travelling more than 72 kilometres without a male relative.
Human Rights Watch reported most girls were banned from receiving an education because the government kept girls’ secondary schools closed.
The latest round of protests in the country centred on an advertising campaign encouraging women to wear a burqa or a hijab.
The Afghan Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which existed under the previous Taliban administration, was behind the propaganda.
As the Taliban tightened its control, more people fled the country.
Australia’s bishops are urging the Federal Government to raise the number of humanitarian places for people fleeing Afghanistan by at least 20,000.
The bishops’ recommendation comes after the Federal Government announced at least 15,000 places over four years for people fleeing the crisis in Afghanistan.
Bishops Commission for Social Justice chair Parramatta Bishop Vincent Long said such a commitment “sounds good, but the problem is that these are places within the existing humanitarian and family visa programs”.
“The scale of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan requires the urgent creation of additional places in Australia’s humanitarian intake,” he said.
“We need to scale up our practical compassion, not simply adjust priorities within existing plans.
“That is why the bishops, together with other members of the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) and many other community groups, call once more for the allocation of at least 20,000 additional places.”
During a Sunday Audience on September 5 last year, Pope Francis urged Catholics to pray for Afghans seeking refuge from the longstanding conflict in the country.
He said it was essential that overseas nations must take in refugees.
Pope Francis did not address the Taliban or their policies directly.
“May young Afghans receive an education, which is essential for human development,” he said.
