Taliban Bans Girls from Medical Institutes: Global Backlash and Local Impact
Published January 7th, 2025
Written by Tatar Khani
Introduction
On December 3rd, Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, issued a decree banning girls from studying in medical institutes. This is not the first time that the Taliban have issued such a decree; previously, he has banned girls and women from attending universities, schools, and training courses. The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education announced in December 2022 that women and girls could no longer continue their studies at public and private universities. This action by the Taliban has been met with strong international condemnation, increasing global pressure on the Taliban and preventing the international community from recognizing the Taliban government. This article reviews the international community’s reaction to Hibatullah Akhundzada’s new decree banning girls from studying in medical institutes and its implications.
Reactions to the Ban
The Taliban’s announcement banning girls from studying in medical institutes has been met with strong domestic and international condemnation. The European Union has described this decision as a “gross violation of fundamental human rights and an unjustifiable attack on women’s right to access education,” expressing deep concern about its far-reaching consequences. Amnesty International has also condemned the Taliban’s decision to ban women and girls from education as “cruel” and “destructive,” warning of its devastating impacts. In a statement on Thursday, December 4th, the organization wrote, “With this decision, the Taliban is not only closing the last doors of education for women but also causing devastating consequences in a country that has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.” According to the organization, the closure of medical institutes will deprive women of their last educational opportunities and increase the mortality rate among women. Amnesty International has called on the Taliban to end all gender-based restrictions on women and to respect international law.
The United Nations also called for the lifting of the ban on women’s education in another reaction. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement on Thursday, December 4th, that the ban on women’s education could have detrimental consequences for Afghanistan’s health system. The statement said, “We call on [the Taliban] to reconsider the implementation of the reported directive, given its negative consequences for the lives of Afghan women and girls and all people across the country.”
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, wrote by posting a message on X, on Friday, December 5th, that he was “horrified by this Taliban decision.”
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement on Friday, December 5th, stating that the decree was in direct contradiction to the resolutions of the organization and wrote that “Afghan women have been witnessing a serious violation of their fundamental rights in the field of education and the new Taliban decree is completely contrary to the resolutions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.”
The organization also expressed concern and disappointment, warning the Taliban that such a decision could have a negative impact on Afghanistan’s health system.
In addition to the explicit reactions of the international community against the Taliban leader’s new decree, Afghan national figures have also strongly condemned this action as contrary to the national interests of Afghanistan. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai wrote on his Facebook page: “Afghanistan will only be saved from external needs and overcome internal problems when it has a skilled and educated human force, and this is only possible when the opportunity to study and learn is provided for all young people, both girls and boys.” Former Afghan Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar [wrote on X] tweeted: “There is no scientific, religious, or cultural justification for this horrific deprivation.”
A number of senior Taliban officials and cabinet ministers have also reacted to their leader’s decree, calling it contrary to the national interest. According to news sources, Syed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban official, reacted to the recent Taliban decree by saying that “education is a basic need for the development of society and the next generation.” He proposed convening a Loya Jirga (grand assembly) to resolve the education crisis. Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former Taliban ambassador to Islamabad, also criticized the recent decision of the Taliban leadership, calling it “selfish.”
Following the increase in opposition within the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada has summoned a number of Taliban cabinet members to Kandahar. According to media reports, Mullah Abdul Kabir, the deputy prime minister for political affairs and head of the group’s political committee, is among those summoned to Kandahar, and Abdul Ghani Baradar has not attended the Taliban cabinet meeting in Kandahar in protest against the group’s decision to ban girls’ education.
In addition to widespread domestic and international opposition to Hibatullah Akhundzada’s new decree, a number of people in the city of Herat held a protest in front of the governor’s office on Friday, December 5th, demanding the lifting of the ban on women’s education, which was met with a violent response from Taliban forces.
Consequences
The ban on girls’ education in medical institutes has far-reaching negative consequences, including:
1. Increased maternal mortality: The United Nations Population Fund reported in 2021 that Afghanistan has the highest maternal mortality rate in Asia, with 638 mothers dying per 100,000 live births. With Mullah Hibatullah’s new decree, maternal mortality rates are expected to increase dramatically.
2. Paralysis of Afghanistan’s health system: According to experts, the Taliban leader’s new decree will have a negative impact on Afghanistan’s health system, causing it to collapse.
3. Elimination of women from society: Another negative consequence of this decree is the complete elimination of women from society, government offices, and educational institutions.
4. Global hatred: By implementing this decree, the Taliban has further provoked global hatred against itself and marginalized the Afghan people even more.
5. Ruining the dreams of Afghan girls: Girls had continued their education with the hope of one day enjoying their human rights. Rana, who was in her third semester of prosthodontics at a medical institute in western Kabul, says that this decree has shattered all our dreams. “I hoped that by completing another semester, I could find a job and save my family from poverty, but now my hope for the future has been cut off.” Mohsena, another girl, said after wiping away her tears that “I was studying at an institute in Kabul with borrowed money. I was preparing for my final semester exam when I heard the unfortunate news of the closure of medical institutes. This news was like cold water poured over my dreams.”
Conclusion
The Taliban’s new decree banning girls from studying in medical institutes not only further restricts women and deprives them of their basic rights but also paralyzes Afghanistan’s health system, sending women and mothers to their deaths. This decree is also driving Afghanistan towards poverty, illiteracy, and isolation, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. It is expected that global reactions will lead to the cancellation of this decree and force the Taliban to stop their brutal oppression of women.