UN deplores Taliban ban on women attend medical classes

By Anjali Sharma

UNITED NATIONS – UN human rights office on Thursday has condemned a new ban imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan which prevent women and girls from attending private medical institutions, warned  that it will have devastating consequences for healthcare especially the future availability of midwives and nurses.

OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani described the new directive reportedly took effect on Tuesday, as “yet another direct blow” by the de facto authorities against Afghan women and girls.

“It is profoundly discriminatory, short-sighted and puts the lives of women and girls at risk in multiple ways.”

Afghanistan suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and there are deep concerns that that the ban would further erode women’s precarious access to healthcare.

It will prevent a new generation of nurses and midwives from receiving training.

Under Taliban rules male medical staff are prohibited from treating women unless accompanied by a male relative, making the presence of female healthcare workers critical.

Ms. Shamdasani noted that the new directive not only blocks the remaining path for Afghan women to pursue higher education but also undermines the country’s overall healthcare system.

She urged the de facto authorities to repeal the harmful directive, she stressed: “It is high time women and girls’ human rights are ensured, in line with Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations.”

UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan also expressed deep concerns over the directive, stated that, it posed “further restrictions” on women and girls’ rights to education and access to healthcare.

The Mission said in a statement “Ultimately, it will have a detrimental impact on Afghanistan’s healthcare system and on the country’s development”.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, described the ban as “inexplicable and unjustifiable.”

“It will have devastating impact on entire population if implemented and must be reversed,” he said in a post on the social media platform X.