WASHINGTON — Marking two years since the Taliban barred Afghan women and girls from universities and women from working in NGOs, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the immediate reversal of these restrictions, emphasizing their critical role in Afghanistan’s future.
“Afghan women and girls are the lynchpin to a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous Afghanistan,” Mr. Blinken said in a statement on Friday. “We call on the Taliban to immediately reverse these edicts.”
The bans, imposed by the Taliban in December 2022, have drawn widespread international condemnation, with human rights advocates and governments warning of severe repercussions for Afghanistan’s social and economic stability.
Experts and activists have repeatedly cautioned that these policies not only violate fundamental human rights but also undermine the country’s ability to recover from decades of conflict.
In a recent move earlier this month, the Taliban banned women from medical education as well, a decision that faced national and international condemnation.
