WHERE does one go from here? In the latest blow to women’s rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban regime has barred female students from nursing and midwifery courses. This new unwritten rule, seemingly part of a systematic campaign to erase women from public life, was reportedly delivered verbally to the heads of medical institutes. It is representative of the kind of governance witnessed since the Taliban returned to power in the war-torn land, where they continue to deny half the population their fundamental rights under the guise of ‘preserving Islamic values’. This decision will not only impact the 35,000 women students enrolled in health institutes, it will also devastate the medical sector. In a gender-segregated society where the healthcare system is already on its knees, the difficulties women patients will face in the absence of female healthcare workers is obvious. The cruel irony is that the very same conservative families whose sensibilities the Taliban claim to protect will bear the brunt of such decisions.

This latest restriction follows a broader pattern of educational apartheid, where women have been banned from universities and secondary schools. In an increasingly stifling environment, health institutes gave women some measure of hope to acquire an education. With this avenue also taken away, it is clear the Taliban will stop at nothing to completely shatter any dreams and ambitions the women of the country may dare to possess. No degree of conformity seems to satisfy their regressive agenda. The world must not remain silent at this barbarism. Expressions of concern thus far, while welcome, have not brought about any meaningful change. More concrete measures are needed to pressure the regime into reversing these destructive policies. The suffering of Afghan women cannot be relegated to mere diplomatic statements and social media posts. The global community owes them more than words of sympathy — it owes them action.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2024