The morning of March 23rd, hundreds of tearful female students filled the streets as they were refused entry to their schools. The Taliban’s Ministry of Education made the announcement late the night before to bar all female students from secondary and high school education, until a plan could be formed for female students that are in accordance with “Islamic law.” When asked for further details by their citizens and the global community, education ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmad Rayan confirmed the Taliban’s order and said: “We are not allowed to comment on this.”
The Taliban began to hold political control starting the previous August while foreign military powers, primarily the United States, began to retract control and occupation from Afghanistan. In the past, the Taliban had controlling government power from 1996 to 2001 before the American “war on terror” began. During this time, women’s rights were rarely addressed, leaving most without an education from a young age and the inability to hold a job. As a part of the transition in August, the international community required the Taliban administration to provide education for all children, male and female.
In August the Taliban had agreed to this term, but due to COVID-19 closures, most schools were closed during the following months after the transition of political control. Throughout the past seven months only primary schools, mostly for boys, were allowed to stay open. Therefore, when the announcement was made that all schools would be reopened this March to all students, young women were excited to begin their education again, some for the first time. But as students approached their schools on Wednesday, teachers and administrators were forced to turn away their female students at the door. Young girls throughout Afghanistan expressed great displeasure, some crying as they walked home, understanding their likelihood to continue their education was low.
While the United Nations and other international organizations have expressed displeasure and even horror for the Taliban’s actions, without political control within the Afghanistan borders, most international powers have little ability to change their decision. Women within Afghanistan who have already completed their education under the foreign occupation raise a different point of contention – what would these young women even be able to accomplish with their education? Women who have already left school have little to no access to job opportunities to use their knowledge and degrees. As the Taliban began to control politics and government, Afghan society has seen the shift back to earlier ideologies that women do not belong in the workplace. Most women are unable to find employment today, therefore, they question the drive of those fighting for education currently, placing their life and the lives of their families at risk. Al Jazeera spoke to Heela Haya, a 20 year old from Kandahar, who had left school prior to the power transition in August. Haya stated: “Those girls who have finished their education have ended up sitting at home and their future is uncertain… what will be our future?”
Afghan women, educated or not, are losing hope not only in their access to education, but civil liberties and personal freedoms. While removing foreign occupation from countries such as Afghanistan is necessary for the progress of regional stability, leaving without solidifying proper protections for all people within the borders has left marginalized populations at risk. The Taliban has a notorious history of descrimination against women, subjugating them to unfair and unjust conditions of living. As the primary occupying force for the past two decades, the U.S. should feel a responsibility to these women who are harmed by the American-proposed power transition. The American government must find peaceful solutions to provide support within Afghanistan for minority populations while holding the Taliban government responsible for their actions.
