Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-medical-education-women-girls-c55047b95870386c86811bcedf7191ea
The EU condemned the Taliban’s recent decision to halt women and girls from getting education in the medical field in Afghanistan after following reports that the leader of the Taliban ordered that medical courses, including nursing and midwifery, at five different places. The Taliban hasn’t confirmed that these actions are true but this decision follows the fact that the Taliban had also banned girls from getting an education after 6th grade and prevented women from getting into university. The EU has stated that this is a huge violation of human rights and a “unjustifiable attack on women’s access to education”. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also expressed their concerns for the healthcare system in Afghanistan. They believe that this could cause an increase in the amount of child mortality rates due to a “lack of trained staff”.
This article is important because it shows the restrictions that the Taliban have been setting regarding women’s rights in the medical field and Afghanistan. The healthcare system in Afghanistan is already facing challenges because of other policies that have been put in place by the Taliban. Some of the lasting impacts in the region include the worsening of the healthcare system and the deepening of gender inequality. With women being suspended for getting an education in the medical field, the amount of properly trained healthcare workers will start to decrease over the next few years which will increase the amount of casualties in Afghan hospitals and healthcare centers.
The main groups that are involved in this event are the EU and the Taliban. The EU is very unhappy with the Taliban and will most likely continue to punish them until they allow women to study in medical programs. Until that happens, the EU will most likely provide assistance or aid to women so they could get an medical education, primarily through NGOs working in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban believe that their decision is justified because of Islamic law and their traditional beliefs regarding gender roles. This decision could further isolate Afghanistan from the international community and could worsen the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The two main concepts that are being discussed are Human Rights Violations and Gender Equality and Women’s Rights. The article shows the rights of the Afghan women being violated under the rule of the Taliban. This attack is unjustifiable because restricting women from getting an education goes against their freedom to choose professional careers and the right to education. This article also highlights the increasing of the gap between the genders in Afghanistan as women are denied education, employment opportunities, and healthcare. This is a significant roadblock in the journey to gender equality and a huge loss for the healthcare industry because women are important for providing care to women and children.