Tragedy befalls Afghanistan women. The Taliban woke up, and among all the things he could do, he chose to tighten his grip on women’s rights. The decision? Afghan women are being banned from pursuing medical education. A move that could have devastating effects on healthcare and gender equality in the country.
For a long time, Afghan women have played a pivotal role in the healthcare sector. They’ve been the lifeline for numerous women who culturally cannot seek treatment from male doctors. And this lifeline is being severed.
The reclusive Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued the decree. It took effect on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, a day after it was communicated at a meeting with heads of all medical institutions in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Officials and participants told the media about this. The participants spoke anonymously because they were warned not to discuss the matter publicly.
Taliban officials have yet to comment on the alleged ban or the meeting on Monday.
Human rights advocate groups and foreign diplomats have condemned the directive, saying it will deprive women of essential healthcare services, including midwives, female nurses, and health workers, in the male-dominated Afghan society where the Taliban have prohibited male doctors from treating women. So, who is going to treat women now?
Robert Dickson, the charge d’affaires of Britain’s diplomatic mission to Kabul, wrote on the X, “I am deeply concerned about new reports that the Taliban will deny medical education to women in Afghanistan.”
He added, “This is another affront to women’s right to education and will further restrict access to health care for Afghan women and children.”
Some experts warn this decision could lead to a healthcare crisis; fewer trained professionals to address the needs of women means marginalization. Activists call this a direct attack on women’s autonomy and their fundamental human rights.
Since 2021, when the Taliban took office, he has implemented harsh policies on women, including a ban on female university education, and girls are prohibited from attending schools beyond the sixth grade. Afghan women are also not allowed to work in all sectors except for a few, which include health care, immigration, and police.
In its defence of these policies, the de facto Afghan government says they are in line with the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia.
Viral videos posted on social media on Tuesday showed Afghan girls lamenting bitterly about the ban. In one of the videos, a group of female students could be heard yelling at Taliban officials that “women should be provided with poison to ensure their peaceful demise.” Sad!
Afghanistan Women and Children Strengthen Welfare Organization, which advocates human rights, posted a statement on X, “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. “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.
Afghanistan’s future dims as its daughters are denied the chance to heal and educate. The question remains: how will the world respond to this ongoing suppression? And how will Afghan women fare in the coming future?
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