Afghanistan: Women now barred from going to university

On Tuesday, December 20, 2022, the announcement by the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education struck like a thunderbolt: public and private universities in Afghanistan will now be banned for women, following a decision by the Taliban government.

On Twitter, the Afghan journalist Nilofar Ayoubi posted a video of a classroom where the young women burst into tears when they hear the news.

“We went to university, the Taliban were in the dock and they told us we couldn’t enter until further notice”said Reuters Shaista, who studies economics at a private university in Kabul.

The rights of Afghan women in constant decline

The announcement was quickly unanimously condemned by several leaders and by the United Nations, who are concerned that the Taliban will continue to reconsider women’s rights. “The denial of education not only violates equal rights for women and girls, but will have a devastating impact on the future of the country” deplored the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.

More than a year after their return to power, the incumbent government has on several occasions revoked fundamental freedoms, for example by decreeing the obligation to wear the full veil in public places. Paradoxically, the Taliban still hope to gain international recognition.

Already last July a report denounced the numerous violations of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan with a section dedicated to the question of studies and education. The situation was already dramatic: deprived of education, of access to higher education and with no prospects for a professional future, girls and young women can no longer acquire autonomy and independencethus increasing the number of forced marriages.

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