The West can't afford to simply stand by and watch how the Taliban turn back the clock in Afghanistan. For the sake of the people there and in its own self-interest it must act, says Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi.
For over a century, Afghanistan's rulers and ethnic groups have been arguing about what women should do and how they should be. Women haven't had much say.
Initial restrictions imposed by the Taliban after their takeover mostly targeted urban women. Now, the expanded rules could affect all women in Afghanistan.
The war-torn country's health system has been facing a severe crisis since the Taliban takeover, which resulted in the suspension of much-needed international aid.
The economy of the war-ravaged country has collapsed, and many Afghans are starving. The international community, however, doesn't want to strengthen the new rulers the Taliban by providing financial aid to them.