Following the announcement of this year’s university entrance exams, Heather Barr, associate director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch, said the Taliban’s continued restrictions on women are depriving Afghanistan of access to a skilled and capable workforce, putting the country’s future at serious risk.
Barr expressed deep concern following the Taliban’s announcement of this year’s university entrance exams, which made no mention of allowing female participation.
“Afghan women have waited long enough,” Barr said. “The international community must act more courageously and take decisive steps to halt the damage the Taliban are inflicting on women and on Afghanistan as a whole.”
The Taliban-run National Examination Authority announced that the Kankor university entrance exams would be held in five phases this year, but once again excluded women and girls from participating. Afghan women and girls remain barred from secondary schools, universities, professional exams, and medical training institutions.
Human Rights Watch warned that the ongoing exclusion of women from education and work would further darken Afghanistan’s prospects for development and stability.
Some Afghan women say their lives have ground to a standstill under the restrictions.
“In Afghanistan today, we are suffering simply because of our gender,” said Nasrin, a resident of Kabul. “We are exhausted. For four years, we have been without work, without education, without hope for the future.”
Shabnam, a resident of Badghis province, said: “We are denied the right to work and study. These problems affect only women. The lack of opportunities has also severely damaged the economy.”
As Afghanistan grapples with a critical shortage of female doctors, nurses and midwives, the Taliban’s policies have not only stalled the country’s social and economic progress but also pose a serious threat to public health.
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 reversed two decades of gains for Afghan women. Despite mounting international condemnation, Taliban have shown no signs of easing its hardline policies.
