Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are reported to have banned medical schools from admitting female students, removing the last remaining opportunity for women to pursue higher education.
The decree issued by the reclusive Taliban leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, took effect Tuesday, a day after it was communicated at a meeting in Kabul of heads from all medical institutions, officials and participants told VOA. They spoke anonymously because they were told not to discuss the matter publicly.
Taliban officials have not yet commented on the alleged ban or the meeting that took place Monday in the Afghan capital.
Human rights advocates and foreign diplomats have condemned the directive they say will deprive millions of women of essential health care services, including midwives, female nurses, and health workers, in the male-dominated Afghan society where the Taliban have prohibited male doctors from treating women.
“I am deeply concerned about new reports that the Taliban will deny medical education to women in Afghanistan,” Robert Dickson, the charge d’affaires of Britain’s diplomatic mission to Kabul, wrote on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
“This is another affront to women’s right to education and will further restrict access to health care for Afghan women and children,” said the British diplomat.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the radical Taliban have banned female university education, and girls are not allowed to attend schools beyond the sixth grade. Afghan women also are prohibited from working in all sectors except for a few, including health care, immigration, and police.
The de facto Afghan government defends its policies, saying they are aligned with the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia.
Social media videos posted Tuesday showed Afghan girls lamenting the ban on their enrollment in health institutes.
In one of the videos recorded after being denied entry to their medical school, a group of female students could be heard telling Taliban officials that “women should be provided with poison to ensure their peaceful demise.”
VOA could not independently confirm the authenticity of the video.
“This decision denies countless young women the opportunity to pursue careers in medicine, a field where they have historically played a vital role, particularly in providing healthcare to women and children,” a statement from Afghanistan Women and Children Strengthen Welfare Organization, which advocates human rights, said Tuesday on X.
“The ban further cripples Afghanistan’s already fragile healthcare system, which relies heavily on female medical professionals to address the needs of its population. With maternal mortality rates among the highest in the world, the absence of female healthcare workers will have catastrophic consequences for women’s health,” it added.
