In every other Arab region in the world women's rights are not restricted as they are in Afghanistan. As elsewhere in the Muslim world and the United States, women chose to use the burka as a matter of individual religious or personal preference. Although the Taliban claims that it was acting in the best interests of women, the truth is that the Taliban regime has cruelly reduced women and children to poverty, worsened their health by denying them adequate healthcare, and deprived them of their right to an education. In some cases they are denied the right to practice their religion. As a result of these measures, the Taliban was ensuring that women would continue to sink deeper into poverty and deprivation. This would guarantee that in the future, women would have none of the skills needed to function in a modern society. .
The fate for women who had been widowed was most unsettling. Women who lost their husbands during Afghanistan's long civil war had no source of income. Although these women were now responsible for being the sole providers for their families, they were not able, by law, to work. Many were forced to sell their possessions and beg in the streets for food in order to feed their families. .
Even when dressed in accordance to the rules of the Taliban, women were severely restricted in their movement. Women were permitted to go out of their living quarters only when accompanied by male relatives. They could only use special buses that were set aside for their use. The windows on these buses were draped with dark cloth so that no one could see who was inside. Windows on houses were also painted black to prevent people from looking inside. The basic rights that other women have around the world such as riding in public taxis was forbidden, and if someone was caught providing transportation for any female who was not a relative would face severe punishment such as public beatings, stoning, or even death.
