Experts appointed by the Human Rights Council said in a statement released on Monday that the ban on women’s medical training comes at a critical time, when the country is facing a massive humanitarian crisis and deteriorating healthcare infrastructure.
The ban is expected to have a severe impact on Afghanistan’s health system, where women and girls can only be treated and cared for by female doctors and health workers.
According to independent experts, if this new ban goes into effect, the health, dignity and future of Afghan women will be harmed in ways that cannot be explained or justified.
He called it a direct attack on the rights of women and girls.
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women and girls have been deprived of their basic rights.
The crisis of women’s rights
Girls are excluded from secondary education and women are already banned from attending university.
Women and girls are banned from visiting amusement parks, public bathrooms, gyms, sports clubs and dress codes for women and girls are strictly enforced in the country. They are not allowed to travel long distances without a male companion.
The Special Rapporteur Group warned that this decision would cause unnecessary suffering and illness, and the possibility of death for women and girls could not be avoided.
Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world and a high infant mortality rate. These new restrictions could have dire health consequences for future generations of Afghan women and girls.
Experts called on the international community to take immediate action to support Afghan women and girls, protect their basic rights and hold the Taliban accountable for its actions.
Human rights expert
Independent human rights experts, or Special Rapporteurs, are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to monitor the human rights situation or conditions in a country and submit reports.
These human rights experts are independent of the United Nations and any country’s government;
Click here to view the list of experts who have signed this statement.