International
Taliban bans Afghan women, girls from attending universities
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has banned women and girls from attending universities in the country, thereby sparking international condemnation and anguish among young people in the country.
The announcement made on Tuesday in a letter released by the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education, further restricts women’s education after girls were already excluded from secondary schools since the Taliban returned last year.
“Based on cabinet decision…education for women is suspended until further notice. The decision should be implemented immediately ” part of the statement tweeted by the Ministry spokesman, Hafiz Hashimi, said.
The order which is with immediate effect, has completed all the restrictions the Taliban imposed on Afghan women’s life in the 1990s, taking Afghanistan and Afghan women nearly three decades back.
READ ALSO:Afghan women protest expulsion of female students from university by Taliban
The new law has recieved widespread criticism and condemnation with the United Nations and several countries kicking at the order, which takes Afghanistan back to the Taliban’s first period of rule when girls could not receive formal education.
In a swift reaction, 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.”
The United States also condemned the order, saying such a move would “come with consequences for the Taliban“.
“The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all in Afghanistan.
“No country can thrive when half of its population is held back,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
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