Armed guards prevent women from entering Afghanistan's universities

AFP journalists observed students gathered in front of universities in the capital, Kabul, whose gates were locked and protected by armed security guards.

“We are doomed. We lost everything,” said one of them, who asked not to be identified.

“We have no words to express our feelings,” explained another, Madina. “They took away our hope. They buried our dreams”, added the student.

The decision to ban women of universities was announced on Tuesday night (20) by the Minister of Higher Education, Neda Mohammad Nadeem.

Taliban ban women from attending university in Afghanistan

Taliban authorities announced, this Tuesday (20), the ban on women's access to university education in Afghanistan for an indefinite period, according to a letter from the Ministry of Higher Education sent to all public and private universities.

The majority of teenagers in the country had already been banned from high school, significantly limiting their options for accessing universities.

The veto, however, had not yet been applied to Higher Education and thousands of women they took the entrance exams less than three months ago.

However, educational centers had to adapt, applying segregation by sex and only allowing women or elderly men to teach students.

Disagreements

The supreme leader of Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and his close circle advocate an ultra-rigorous interpretation of Islam against modern education, especially for women.

The position diverges from that adopted by some leaders in Kabul, and even among their bases, who expected the new regime to tolerate female education.

International pressure

O Taliban also expelled the women from many government jobs, banned them from traveling without a male relative, and forced them to wear a burqa or hijab outside the home.

In November, authorities banned their access to parks, markets, gyms and public bathrooms.

The international community, in turn, considers the right to education for women a fundamental condition in negotiations for the provision of humanitarian aid to the country and recognition of the new authorities.

"The Taliban It cannot hope to be a legitimate member of the international community if it does not fully respect the rights of everyone in Afghanistan. This decision will have consequences”, commented the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the Taliban “decided to destroy the future of his own country” and reported that the G7 will address the issue.

During the 20 years that passed between the two regimes Taliban, girls attended schools and women They looked for jobs in all sectors, despite the country remaining socially conservative.

In recent weeks, authorities have also reintroduced floggings and public executions in an extreme application of Islamic law, sharia.

(To AFP)

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