KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The US Department of State has “strongly” condemned the Taliban’s decision to suspend medical education for women and girls, calling it an “unjustifiable attack” on women’s access to education and healthcare.
In a statement on Wednesday, December 11, the department called on the Taliban authorities to rescind the latest ban and all restrictions imposed on women and girls over the past three years.
The Taliban authorities recently ordered all public and private institutions to suspend medical education programs, such as nursing and midwifery, for women and girls. The directive, reportedly issued by the reclusive Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, took effect on December 3 and impacted at least 35,000 female students pursuing medical education across the country.
Midwifery and nursing training were the only educational avenues left open to women and girls under the Taliban’s oppressive regime. They had previously barred women and girls from attending school and university, among other restrictions.
The US State Department stated that the Taliban’s latest ban further jeopardizes the health, well-being, safety, and lives of not just women and girls, but all Afghans.
“The United States remains resolute in its support for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and will continue to stand with all Afghans in advocating for their full, equal, and meaningful participation in all aspects of society,” part of the statement reads.
The department called on the international community to unite and unequivocally condemn the Taliban’s policies and actions, and to support the people of Afghanistan, particularly women and girls whose rights are being systematically abused.
The Taliban’s latest restriction on women’s rights has sparked widespread reactions and condemnation, including from the UK, UN, Islamic organizations, rights groups, and activists, all of whom have called for its immediate revocation.
Earlier, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned that the ban would worsen the existing shortage of female health workers and jeopardize the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system.
“There is no healthcare system without educated female health practitioners,” said Mickael Le Paih, MSF’s country representative in Afghanistan. “In MSF, 50 percent of our medical staff are women. The decision to bar women from studying at medical institutes will further exclude them from both education and the impartial provision of healthcare.”
