Photos by Ellen Jaskol
DESPITE PROMISES to the contrary , the Taliban ’ s new cabinet does not include a single woman . The Ministry of Women ’ s Affairs has been disbanded and supplanted with a Ministry of Virtue and Vice , known under the prior regime for brutally enforcing the group ’ s strict interpretation of Islam under Sharia law . In addition , within weeks of the Taliban ’ s coming to power , the rights of Afghan women and girls to education and work were already being significantly curtailed — not to mention the broader rights of all Afghans to freedom of religion and movement . All around the country , there are reports that women who previously worked in government offices , banks , and other businesses are being told to go home “ where they belong .”
While primary schools have continued to operate for girls and boys , in late September , the education ministry ordered male students and teachers back to high school , but made no mention of female students , raising fears that girls would be banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade . Following public outrage , the Taliban quickly backed down , announcing girls would be permitted to return to secondary school “ soon .” But what that will look like and under what conditions remains uncertain . i
In some regions of the country , female students have been prohibited from attending university , including Kabul University , the country ’ s premier public university . In late September , the school ’ s new , Taliban-appointed chancellor proclaimed that female students and teachers would be banned altogether from attending . ii More broadly , the Taliban ’ s new education minister recently declared that going forward , women and men must be educated and work separately . This would effectively act to limit girls ’ ability to attend anything beyond primary school given the limited number of high school and university teachers who are female . Women who have been permitted to attend certain universities are also being forced to wear long , black abayas that cover their entire bodies and a niqab over their faces , leaving just their eyes uncovered .
For Afghan women and girls , the extent of sorrow and loss they are feeling cannot be overstated .
THE PROMISE OF EDUCATION But there may be reason for hope . Today ’ s Afghanistan is different in important ways from when the Taliban last held power . There has been significant progress in Afghan women ’ s and girls ’ access to education , jobs , and political participation . Most notably , literacy rates among girls have doubled . Of the 9 million students enrolled in school in 2018 , 3.8 million were female . When compared to 2001 , when virtually no girls were enrolled in school , this represents enormous progress . iii
In urban areas , before the recent takeover by the Taliban , 45 % of girls attended secondary school . ( Although in rural areas , progress has been much slower with only 17 % of girls advancing to secondary school .) Over the past 20 years , the number of schools increased 10 times and the number of female primary teachers grew to
4 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE