in one expressionthe UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also demanded the de facto Authorities to “reopen girls’ schools beyond the sixth grade and end all measures that prevent women and girls from fully participating in daily public life”.
Clear and current violation
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk described the ban as “another appalling and cruel blow to the rights of Afghan women and girls and a deeply regrettable setback for the whole country”.
He recalled that their systematic exclusion from virtually every aspect of life was “unprecedented anywhere in the world” and reiterated that banning women from higher education was “all the more heartbreaking” given their vital contributions over the years.
“Besides the ban on girls going to school, just think of all the doctors, lawyers and teachers who have been and will be lost to the development of the country,” said the senior UN official.
He stated that the exclusion of women from higher and higher education was a “clear violation” of Afghanistan’s obligations under international law, adding that their right to access all levels of education without discrimination was “fundamental and indisputable”.
Targeted Discrimination
The ban on women studying is a continuation of the Taliban’s systematic policy of discrimination.
Since August 2021, they have barred girls from secondary school, restricted the movement of women and girls, barred women from most of the workforce, and banned them from using parks, gyms, and public bathhouses.
According to UNAMA, these restrictions culminate in the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes.
“Preventing half the population from making meaningful contributions to society and the economy will have a devastating impact across the country.”
self-inflicted damage
UNAMA reminded that these practices would expose Afghanistan to further international isolation, economic hardship and suffering that “would affect millions for years to come.”
“The UN estimates that restricting women’s employment could result in economic loss of up to $1 billion – or up to 5 percent of the country’s GDP,” they said, adding that banning women from Universities, including teachers and professors, would contribute to additional economic losses.
Education is a basic human right, the UN mission reminded. The exclusion of women not only denies them that right, “it denies Afghan society as a whole the benefit of their contributions.”
Rippling Effects
That de facto The exclusion of women and girls by the authorities from education, jobs and other areas of life increases the risk of forced and minor marriages, violence and abuse, UNAMA stressed.
“Continued discrimination against more than half of the country’s population will prevent Afghanistan from achieving an inclusive society where all people can live in dignity and enjoy equal opportunities.”
The organization and its partners remind the Taliban that depriving women of their free will, disempowering them and excluding them from all aspects of public and political life violates universal human rights standards on which peaceful and stable societies are based.
“This decision will be a negative factor for Afghans abroad who are considering returning and forcing more to flee the country,” the statement continued.
Girls read textbooks at the Dasht-e-Barchi educational center in Kabul, Afghanistan. (File)
Close the door to the future
Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, said on Twitter that the organization “speaks with one voice” by sharing the outrage of millions of citizens and the international community.
“Education is a basic human right,” he tweeted.
“A door closed to women’s education is a door closed to Afghanistan’s future.”
persecution based on gender
At the same time, 19 UN-appointed independent human rights experts condemned the decision in the strongest possible terms, noting that the move could constitute gender-based persecution, a crime against humanity, among many other “irrational restrictions”.
The announcement is “a flagrant violation of their human rights enshrined in several international treaties to which Afghanistan is a signatory and will have disastrous consequences for Afghans,” a statement said.
The experts also pointed out that other Islamic scholars said there was no religious or cultural justification for this.
“Profound” effect
The education of women and girls lays the foundation for women’s economic empowerment and is fundamental to the realization of gender equality.
Without educated women, fewer skilled workers would be available to serve the population and move Afghanistan forward, the experts said.
They pointed out that female doctors are needed to provide women with proper medical care de facto The authorities prohibit male doctors from treating women and girls.
Without women teachers, who previously made up 82 percent of the Department of Education, children’s learning will suffer and women lawyers will give women and their families access to justice.
“The generational ramifications of such a confinement will be profound and catastrophic for Afghanistan.”
They called on the Taliban to “stop using the safety of women and girls as an excuse to impose severe and disproportionate restrictions on them, and instead address the root causes of violence and discrimination against women and girls – namely, the behavior and attitudes of women and girls.” Men they see as inferior and inferior to men and boys.” Special rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to investigate and report on a specific human rights issue or situation in a country. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work.
A group of elementary school girls sit in their classroom at a high school in Nuristan province, Afghanistan.
Most affected
Meanwhile, the World Food Program (WFP) shared poll results showing that women and girls in Afghanistan are hardest hit by the humanitarian and economic crisis there.
Restrictions at work make it impossible for many to feed themselves and their children, increasing the risk of resorting to desperate coping strategies — including selling assets, dropping their children out of school or skipping meals, WFP says.
Restriction upon Restrictions
Women’s mobility was further restricted by forcing them to be accompanied by male attendants – making access to markets, clinics and distribution outlets difficult.
Female workers, who are essential to vulnerable women and girls, face similar challenges.
And some 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding malnourished women is the highest number ever recorded in Afghanistan, perpetuating a vicious cycle of malnourished mothers giving birth to malnourished children.
‘resist deletion’
For her part UN women Chief Sima Bahous stated that “the all-out assault on women’s rights in Afghanistan…is as short-sighted as it is appalling.”
“Women have always played a key role in shaping Afghanistan’s development and in supporting peace, security and resilience,” she said. “Ending women’s higher education means ignoring their historical contributions and separating them from their future potential and the potential of their country.”
call at the de facto Authorities to restore the full rights of women and girls without delay, Ms Bahous reminded that what is happening to women and girls in Afghanistan “is our global responsibility.
“We must continue to amplify their voices as they resist annihilation. As the international community faces the systematic and deliberate violations of their rights by the Taliban, we must continue to stand up for the values we stand for and invest in solidarity with our Afghan sisters,” she said.
