Taliban Refuse to Resume University Courses for Women in Afghanistan, US Takes No Action
The United States has failed thus far take any meaningful action against Taliban policies which deny women equal access university courses in Afghanistan despite Secretary Blinken’s promise earlier this week. Human rights activists are calling on world leaders do more protect basic human rights including right education regardless gender or religion within country’s borders
Dec. 23, 2022 9:16AM
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A woman wearing a hijab walking away from a closed door representing educational opportunity denied due lack of access caused by gender inequality policies put forth by Taliban rule in Afghanistan
In a statement released on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the United States will take action if the ban on university courses for women in Afghanistan is not resumed. The Taliban have refused to comply with this demand and continue to maintain their stance against allowing women access to higher education. The Taliban's decision has been met with criticism from international organizations and human rights groups alike. They argue that such a move is an infringement of basic human rights and goes against the principles of gender equality. Despite this, the US government has yet to take any action in response to the situation. This lack of action by the US government has been met with further criticism from those who feel that they should be doing more to ensure equal access for all citizens in Afghanistan regardless of gender or religion. "It's unacceptable that we are not taking any concrete steps towards ensuring that women have access to higher education," said one human rights activist. "We need our leaders to step up and do something about this now." Blinken had previously stated that he was hopeful for improved relations between the United States and Afghanistan if the Taliban were willing to make changes regarding issues such as gender equality. However, it appears as though his optimism was unfounded as there has been no progress made on this front since his statement was released earlier this week. At present, it remains unclear what action, if any, will be taken by either party in order to resolve this issue and ensure equal access for all citizens regardless of gender or religion when it comes to higher education opportunities in Afghanistan. Until then, many will remain concerned about whether or not anything will be done at all in order to address this important issue.