EU condemns reported Taliban move to suspend medical education for women and girls

The European Union on Wednesday condemned the Taliban for violating human rights and women’s access to education after media reports that the Taliban’s leader has ordered private and public institutions to stop providing medical courses for women and girls in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have neither confirmed the order nor responded to the reports. The Public Health Ministry spokesman was unavailable for comment.

In September 2021, a month after they returned to power, the Taliban stopped schooling for girls after grade six. They banned women from university in December 2022.

Medical education, like nursing and midwifery, was one of the few ways they could continue their learning in classrooms.

The BBC and others reported that five institutions across Afghanistan said the Taliban had instructed them to close until further notice, and women training as midwives and nurses were ordered not to return to classes Wednesday.

A 22-year-old midwifery student learned Wednesday that the institute was stopping classes for her and her friends. She had already switched from a law degree after the Taliban halted university for women and expressed her shock and disbelief at the latest decision.

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“After an hour, when I calmed down a little, I cried a lot because we had this one way (to study) and it is also closed,” she told The Associated Press. “It’s a difficult situation to have so many dreams in the field of education. But, in a second, all the dreams are crushed. This is the second time I have faced such a situation.”

Another young woman said she had set out to be a pilot in the armed forces, an ambition that ended after the Taliban’s return to power.

So she started studying midwifery because of women’s health issues, especially Afghanistan’s high maternal mortality rates. She wanted to work in a hospital. On Wednesday, before the first exam of the semester, the institute told female students they could not return.

“It was the most difficult moment of my life when I heard this. It still is. They killed my hopes.”

Both women spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal as public dissent against Taliban rule is rare.

The EU said the Taliban’s latest reported decision represented another appalling violation of fundamental human rights and an unjustifiable attack on women’s access to education in Afghanistan.

“The European Union expresses its strong concerns over this decision and its far-reaching implication, including the deepening of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the exacerbation of the suffering of its people,” the statement said.

It urged the Taliban to reverse the policy.

A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said the U.N. in Afghanistan was working to verify the claims with relevant officials.

“This development raises serious concerns about the sustainability and appeal of formal education for female health workers,” said WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris. “Such measures could have far-reaching implications for the future availability of qualified female health professionals and the continuity of health service delivery in the country.”

A starker warning came from a senior health official in Afghanistan. He did not give his name for fear of reprisals from the Taliban.

He said that Afghanistan would face major challenges beyond the control of the government if the suspension became permanent.

“If women are not trained as staff, the mortality rate of mothers and children will increase in remote areas,” he said. “There will not be enough staff to provide services to female patients. Those NGOs that provide services in distant provinces and districts are still facing a shortage of doctors, midwives, nurses and other female staff.”

Afghan cricket superstar Rashid Khan said education held a central place in Islamic teachings and that the faith emphasized the pursuit of knowledge for men and women.

He also appealed to authorities to reconsider their decision. Afghanistan needed professionals in every field, especially the medical sector, he said.

“The acute shortage of female doctors and nurses is particularly concerning, as it directly impacts the healthcare and dignity of women,” Khan wrote on Facebook. “It is essential for our sisters and mothers to have access to care provided by medical professionals who truly understand their needs.”

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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten contributed to this report from Geneva.