Matt Fletcher

Mr. Beuter
Honors English III
8 October 2015
Human rights are defined in the dictionary as the rights (belonging to all persons) to freedom
from unlawful imprisonment, torture, and execution. Human rights in Afghanistan are being denied
everyday by the Taliban. We cannot have complete transparency on what goes on in Afghanistan
currently, but this essay is based on the best sources available.
The thing about the Taliban is they are fundamentalist, which means following religious scripture
completely. This is the cause of most of the sexism, racism, and human rights violations that go on
currently.
For example, women in Afghanistan arent allowed to show their face; they must wear a burqa
and be accompanied by a male at all times. They cannot go to school after a certain age, and starting in
1998 the Taliban forced people to blacken their windows so women could not be seen. There are also
forced marriages, rape, early pregnancies, and other heinous acts. (Amnesty)
The American military isnt the absolute good guy either: the most well known example is the
Abu Ghraib prison situation, in which a series of human rights violations occurred including sodomy,
rape, torture, and murder. (Hersh) AMERICAN soldiers did this. There are also cases where soldiers were
discouraged from reporting sexual abuse of minors by Afghan soldiers (Grumke), and recently there was
a US bombing of a Doctors Without Borders in Afghanistan.
But this isnt even delving into the human trafficking, or massacres that occur day-to-day in
modern day Afghanistan, or some of the other crimes committed by both sides. There can be a million
papers written about this issue, but it is difficult to fix, because the American military isnt innocent, and
because of just how many of the Taliban there are.
Works Cited

Grumke, Kate. "US Bombing Highlights Human Rights Concerns In Afghanistan." The Indy Channel.
ABC, 6 Oct. 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Hersh, Seymour. "Torture at Abu Ghraib." The New Yorker. Conde Nast Digital, 10 May 2015. Web. 8
Oct. 2015.

"Women in Afghanistan: The History." Amnesty. Amnesty International, 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.