After promising less constricting rules on the women of Afghanistan, Taliban leaders have proceeded to stop women from attending any form of formal education. This decree was implemented on Tuesday with immediate effect. Though people expected the decree, it still came as a shock.
One of the promises of Taliban Afghanistan while taking over the country was to provide a softer landing for human rights. But it is clear to the international community that they have no intention of keeping to their word. After the Afghanistan war and Americans leaving the country, things have gone from bad to worse for the country's citizens. They started to steadily implement rules that affected human rights, especially women in the country.
According to the Taliban leaders, the rules compelling to Afghans are accurate with their Islamic beliefs and the Sharia law. After the Afghanistan war and America's chaotic exit from the country, Taliban Afghanistan has been a nightmare for the citizens who are yet to believe their fate. Girls have been banned from having any kind of western education, including middle, high school, and college degrees. They have also banned ladies from going to the park or gyms across the country. Also, female citizens have to comply with the head-to-toe dressing policy.
The decision to ban women from having anything to do with western education was announced after the Taliban leaders had a meeting and decided that. The Ministry of Higher Education spokesman, Ziaullah Hashmi, shared the letter, which mandated universities and any school across the country to be closed. However, the letter's content didn't signify why they banned formal female education in the country.
Citizens Devastated By Taliban Afghanistan
The citizens of Afghanistan are disappointed with the rules that their current government is making. While many had expected the atrocities of the Taliban rule, many didn't think they would go as far as banning formal education for women in the country. Since taking over, human rights, especially those for women, have been reduced beyond reasonable measure.
The ban from the Taliban government came after women in Afghanistan took their high school graduation exams. Even while taking the exams, many thought this might be the last time they had any form of western education. Many students have spoken about how the ban has shattered their dreams concerning their future. Female students spoke about how it might be hard to achieve those dreams except for intervention from international organizations such as the United Nations.
A third-year journalism and communication student at Nangarhar University spoke about her regrets about being a citizen of the country. She didn't specify her name to avoid being fished out by the Taliban government.
"I can’t fulfill my dreams, my hopes. Everything is disappearing before my eyes, and I can’t do anything about it. Is being a girl a crime? If that’s the case, I wish I wasn’t a girl."
"My father had dreams for me that his daughter would become a talented journalist in the future. That is now destroyed. So, you tell me, how will a person feel in this situation?" the third-year journalism student added.
The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other world leaders have condemned the actions of the Taliban government and will be using every means available to reverse the new law.