Taliban Restrictions on Girls’ Education Five Years After Their Return to Power

Five years after the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan, the regime has imposed a ban on formal education for girls older than 12. Women have been removed from most workplaces, and new legal measures have facilitated child marriage and sanctioned domestic violence. Reports describe women being whipped for minor infractions and men being forced to act as enforcers within their own homes.

The Guardian

The Taliban’s resurgence in 2021 marked the end of the brief period of expanded rights for women and girls that followed the fall of the previous regime. Since then, the group has systematically reinstated policies that curtail public participation by women, citing their interpretation of religious law. International observers have repeatedly highlighted the regression, noting that the restrictions affect millions of Afghan females.

The Guardian

One Afghan girl, now 12, explained that she is preparing for her sixth-grade examinations, which she knows will be the final exams she is permitted to take. She expressed a longing to return to seventh grade, to place books on a desk again, and to write about the current hardships without fear. Her testimony underscores the personal toll of the education ban on young girls whose aspirations are abruptly halted.

The Guardian

The combined effect of school closures, workplace ejections, and legal frameworks that endorse child marriage and domestic abuse has deepened gender-based oppression across Afghanistan. Analysts note that the loss of education hampers future economic participation and erodes community cohesion. While the article interweaves commentary on AI, extraterrestrials, and Australian sport, the central narrative remains the stark reality faced by Afghan girls under the Taliban’s renewed rule.

The Guardian