Key points
- 2 million girls denied schooling
- Bans extended to higher education
- Women barred from work and public
KABUL: International concern is growing over the Taliban’s continuing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, as millions remain denied access to education and employment under what critics describe as worsening gender repression.
According to The Guardian, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that diplomatic engagement with the Taliban has failed to curb its “war on women”, with repression intensifying despite renewed contacts by major powers. UN agencies estimate that around 2.2 million Afghan girls have been barred from secondary schooling since the Taliban takeover, with bans later extended to higher education.
Since 2021, Taliban authorities have issued successive decrees restricting women from universities, most forms of work, public spaces and travel without a male guardian. Women have also been ordered to cover their faces and risk arrest for appearing in places such as parks, gyms and beauty salons.
Appeasement
Brown argued that international “appeasement” by countries including Russia, China and India has encouraged Taliban leaders to act with impunity. Recent cases have included the arrest of female journalist Nazira Rashidi and the imprisonment of Khadija Ahmadzada for running a women’s sports gym.
The UN special rapporteur Richard Bennett has warned that conditions for women are deteriorating further, with new legal measures signalling more violations ahead. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for senior Taliban figures over gender-based persecution.
Analysts say Afghanistan’s long-term stability is at risk, as denying education to half the population will make economic recovery impossible. Brown urged the international community to condition engagement on restoring girls’ schooling and women’s rights.
