Title: Gender equality, constitutionalism, and women's rights in Afghanistan: contestations and challenges

Authors: Joanna Mahjebeen

Addresses: Department of Political Science, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi Nagar, Jalukbari, Guwahati, Assam 781014, India

Abstract: The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 was seen as a threat to democracy and human rights in general. Following the coup, the issue of women's rights and their position in a regime characterised by extreme misogyny and conservatism attracted attention on a global scale. The paper looks into the history of discrimination against women in Afghanistan and finds that there has been a resistance to change when it comes to issues of gender equality and justice. Regime changes have either increased or decreased crimes against women, but the overarching narrative about women's position has not changed. In Afghanistan, gender justice has been influenced by the country's patriarchal, customary, and conservative culture.

Keywords: Afghanistan; Taliban; women's rights; gender; equality; patriarchy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHRCS.2024.141726

International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, 2024 Vol.11 No.4, pp.415 - 427

Received: 20 May 2023
Accepted: 30 May 2023
Published online: 01 Oct 2024 *

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