The Taliban has made one of its most radical decisions since taking power a year ago following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. A new rule will repress the rights of Afghan women by preventing them from accessing education.
Following a meeting held in Kabul with private school principals, clergymen and other community representatives, the country's authorities announced that girls will not be allowed to study at any stage.
However, this was not the only decision taken, as the authorities reported that female staff are now also prohibited from working in schools, thus eliminating one of the few professions that women could actually perform.
Taliban bans all girls from attending even elementary school, "effectively instituting a total ban on the education of girls and women and dealing one of the most dramatic blows yet to women’s freedoms since seizing power last year." https://t.co/7K1F5sXvxS
— Bryn Stole (@brynstole) December 21, 2022
It was also announced that women will not be allowed to visit mosques or attend religious seminaries.
These measures were announced on Wednesday, just one day after a spokesman for the country's Ministry of Higher Education indicated that universities would be closed to women, effective immediately.
Women increasingly oppressed
Taliban officials have tightened restrictions on females in a very short time. Recently, a gender segregation policy was implemented in classrooms and at school entrances. Women could only have teachers of advanced age or of the same sex.
It was then announced that girls would not be allowed to enter secondary schools. Later, it was ordered that schools for women would be closed entirely. The Taliban has already hindered women's opportunities, but the situation is getting worse and may not end here.
Afghanistan is the ONLY country in the world where teenage girls are banned from going to school. That means girls aged over 11 have been imprisoned at home for 448 days, since Taliban takeover.
Education is a fundamental human right. Afghanistan’s girls matter. Be their voice. pic.twitter.com/5ugA2yikXQ
— Shabnam Nasimi (@NasimiShabnam) December 12, 2022
"The Taliban make it clear every day that they do not respect the fundamental rights of Afghans, especially women," said Human Rights Watch.
Women need a male guardian if they intend to travel more than 48 miles. They also cannot visit public parks, and even the most basic tasks may first require the presence of a man.
Several countries have already come out to condemn the restrictions and recalled that recognition of the Taliban regime and humanitarian and financial aid will depend on the Taliban's respect for human rights.
