UN reaction to Taliban’s abolition of girls’ right to education
The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the Taliban administration’s decision to suspend the university education of female students in Afghanistan is against international law.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, in his written statement, stated that this practice was a gross blow to women’s rights in Afghanistan and emphasized that the decision constitutes “a sad setback for the whole country”.
Noting that the systematic exclusion of women from social life contradicts the innovations and developments in the world, Türk underlined that the labor of women, who could be candidates for many doctors, teachers and lawyers, was wasted. Calling on the Taliban authorities to reverse this decision, Türk said, “Women’s access to education at all levels and without discrimination is a fundamental and unquestionable right.” made his statement. The Taliban administration had reported the previous day that the education of female students at universities was suspended until a second announcement, by the decision of the Council of Ministers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement yesterday, stated that it is sad and concerned about the decision on the ban on education for female students in higher education in Afghanistan.
