Taliban’s Ban on Women´s Education
- Lily Mora
- Jan 27, 2023
- 2 min read
Many of us can’t even imagine not going to school. Much of our lives revolve around going to school. It is such a normal occurrence for us, that often it is taken for granted.
On the 20th of December 2022, the Taliban implemented a ban on women attending university, in Afghanistan. First they outlawed girls from going to secondary schools, and slowly started disallowing universities starting with banning subjects and limiting access. Officially, their right to seek higher education has been revoked and thus the protests have begun.
These bans have created a regression, in terms of human rights, in Afghanistan. The access to higher education (and education in general) is a basic human right according to the UN. This human right has now been taken away. Protests have commenced around the country due to this ban, and for the most part it is women protesting. Men have done next to nothing in fear of being beaten, tortured, or killed. While this is a very real fear, the women in Afghanistan need the support of their male counterparts to properly protest and hopefully reverse the ban. The women of Afghanistan have seen the example the men in Iran have set as they support their sisters and believe it’s necessary for the whole of the country to stand together.
In August of 2021 the United States (US) completely withdrew all troops from Afghanistan ending the presence of the US military in the country. As soon as the US exited the country, the Taliban regained power and took control of the country. This created a succession of events including a refugee crisis, due to the fact that many Afghans fled the country. This withdrawal has also resulted in the school ban that has officially been put in place. Which begs the question: Was this a direct result of the demilitarization of Afghanistan or merely a casualty?
The supreme leader of the Taliban Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, want a proper Islamic society, a proper Islamic society (according to the Taliban) is when women know their place, which is in the household. However, many young women in Afghanistan reject this archaic notion. The dreams of these young women have been completely shattered and demolished. The Taliban has also continued to toy with the hope of returning to school, when in March of 2022 the Taliban promised to reopen some high schools and then cancelled the move on the day they were supposed to reopen.
As the Taliban continues to remain in power this is just a step, in an attempt to completely erase Afghan women from society. They will continue to roll back women’s rights and freedoms in the country. Will someone put a stop to this injustice and reverse the ban? Or will Afghanistan continue to remain the country going back in time?
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