UN Security Council Condemns Taliban’s University Ban for Women

The United Nations Security Council denounced the Taliban government of Afghanistan’s ban on women and girls attending high school and university. The council approved a statement by consensus that called on the Taliban to “reopen schools and swiftly reverse these policies and practices, which represent an increasing erosion of the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The members of the council also expressed concern about the Taliban’s ban on female employees of non-governmental organizations and international organizations from going to work, saying that it will have a “significant and immediate impact for humanitarian operations in the country” and that “these restrictions contradict the commitments made by the Taliban to the Afghan people, as well as the expectations of the international community.”

At least three NGOs have announced the halt of operations in Afghanistan in the wake of the ban: Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE. Those organizations say they cannot effectively reach children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without the women in their workforces.

The announcement last week of the suspention of university education for all women in Afghanistan came two weeks after the Taliban allowed girls to take their high school graduation exams, despite not being in a classroom since the Islamist group took over and prevented girls from studying in high schools. The Taliban have been barring women from entering public spaces including parks, gyms, and entertainment venues, requiring them to wear burqas and face coverings and requiring a male escort in public.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan and announced the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at the end of August 2021, when the last US and other foreign troops left the country.