Taliban’s Ban on Women´s Education

The dreams for the future belonging to these Afghan women have been completely shattered and demolished.

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 Officially, their right to seek higher education has been revoked and thus the protests have begun.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 United Nations. This human right has now been taken away. Protests have commenced around the country due to this ban, the vast majority of protesters are women. 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 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 regain power and took control. 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, wants a proper Islamic society. According to the Taliban this means that women should know their place, which is in the household. However, many young women in Afghanistan reject this archaic notion.

The dreams for the future belonging to these Afghan women have been completely shattered and demolished.

The Taliban has continued to toy with the hope of returning to school. In March of 2022 the Taliban promised to reopen some high schools and then decided to not reopen the schools on the day of return.

As the Taliban continues to remain in power, this ban 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. They already have continued to limit freedoms in the country including banning women from going to public parks. These are just some of the inequities these women face but are not the only ones. The whole country is facing oppression. Will the UN or other politically powerful countries call this out and put a stop to these miscarriages of justice and reverse the ban? Will the Taliban continue to remain in power? And will Afghanistan continue to remain the country going back in time?