Taliban Tightens Education Ban, Halts Training of Female Healthcare Workers in Afghanistan

This week, the Taliban imposed a new restriction on women's rights in Afghanistan, prohibiting women from attending medical training institutions. This decree removes one of the final possibilities for women to pursue higher education and worsens the healthcare crisis by stopping the training of female healthcare workers in a country where women already face limitations on receiving treatment from male medical professionals in certain provinces.

The directive, issued by Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, was revealed during a gathering of the Ministry of Public Health. Administrators of private medical training facilities were called upon and directed to implement the ban, which comes in the wake of earlier decrees prohibiting girls from secondary education past sixth grade and entirely forbidding higher education for women.

This decision carries serious implications. The lack of newly trained female healthcare professionals in Afghanistan poses significant risks for women, leading to a heightened vulnerability to preventable illnesses and mortality, while they struggle to obtain essential medical care. The action highlights the Taliban’s ongoing infringement of women’s rights since they took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

In Afghanistan, women and girls face significant restrictions on fundamental rights, such as access to education, freedom of movement, employment opportunities, and involvement in public life. Access to parks, gyms, and public spaces is also restricted for them. Women’s rights defenders protesting against these oppressive policies have encountered severe retaliation, including physical assault, detention, sexual violence, and enforced disappearances.

International human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, have urged that the Taliban be held responsible for these offenses. On Monday, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan announced that applications for arrest warrants in the Afghanistan situation would be filed soon, indicating a possible advancement toward justice.

Afghan women are enduring the harsh realities of an oppressive regime, confronting a systematic denial of their rights and the essential resources required for their survival. Ensuring accountability for the Taliban is essential not only for justice but also for the vital process of restoring hope and dignity to Afghan women.

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