Kabul, 21 December 2022 (TDI): The Taliban authorities yesterday imposed a ban on women and girls from attending universities and from getting higher education in Afghanistan.
A letter, confirmed by a Spokesperson for Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately.
This was done in accordance with the Cabinet decision.
The Minister for Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem said that this move will be practiced until further notice. Furthermore, in reaction to this decision, today in Kabul, some women staged protests against the authorities.
The protestors said that “today we came out on the streets of Kabul to raise our voices against the closure of the girls’ universities”.
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However, the small demonstrations were quickly shut down by Taliban officials. Furthermore, the Taliban has defended its decision by saying that such restrictions have been done to preserve “national interest” and women’s “honor”.
International Response
The United Nations and several countries have condemned this decision. The UN’s Special Rapporteur to Afghanistan said it was “a new low further violating the right to equal education and deepens the erasure of women from Afghan society.”
Also Read: US condemns Taliban university ban for women
The US also condemned the decision “in the strongest terms.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that, “the Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all in Afghanistan. This decision will come with consequences for the Taliban”.
“No country can thrive when half of its population is held back” he added. Additionally, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade also condemned this action and said “We call upon the Taliban to reverse these measures”.
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Despite initially promising a moderate rule respecting rights for women, the Taliban have implemented their strict implementation of Islamic law.
In this respect, they have banned girls from schools.
Also, they have restricted women from most employment and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. In addition, women are also not allowed to go to parks and gyms.
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