Taliban Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada Bans Women from Medical Institutes Amid China Trip

Dec 3, 2024, 07:36 AM

The Taliban leadership, under Hibatullah Akhundzada, has issued a directive prohibiting women from attending medical and semi-professional institutes in Afghanistan, effectively eliminating one of the few remaining avenues for higher education for women. This decision, confirmed by sources within the Taliban's Ministry of Public Health, was announced during a meeting with institute directors on Monday. The ban, which has lasted for 1,172 days, has kept 1.4 million teenage girls out of school and now extends to fields such as midwifery, nursing, dentistry, and laboratory sciences. This move has sparked widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally, with protests from students and activists. The UK's chargé d'affaires to Afghanistan, Robert C. Dickson, expressed deep concern over the ban, describing it as a severe blow to women's rights and healthcare access. The decision also coincides with the Taliban's Health Minister Noor Jallal Jalali's trip to China for a bilateral health meeting.