Abel Reames
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Afganistan even more pathetic than Romania. Muslims should be fighting to get this guy out of prison if being supported by women is the banner raising headline.
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Women's rights in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule
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Afganistan even more pathetic than Romania. Muslims should be fighting to get this guy out of prison if being supported by women is the banner raising headline.
Abel Reames
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Where's the Dubai royal family when you need them?
daytrader
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Taliban closes Afghan women-run radio station for ‘playing music’
Sadai Banowan station head denies any violation, saying there was no need for the closure and called it a conspiracy.
A women-run radio station in Afghanistan’s northeast has been shut down for playing music during the holy month of Ramadan, a Taliban official said.
Sadai Banowan, which means women’s voice in Dari, is Afghanistan’s only women-run station and started 10 years ago. It has eight staff, six of them female.
Moezuddin Ahmadi, the director for Information and Culture in Badakhshan province, said the station violated the “laws and regulations of the Islamic Emirate” several times by broadcasting songs and music during Ramadan and was shuttered because of the breach.
“If this radio station accepts the policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and gives a guarantee that it will not repeat such a thing again, we will allow it to operate again,” said Ahmadi.
Station head Najia Sorosh denied there was any violation, saying there was no need for the closure and called it a conspiracy. The Taliban “told us that you have broadcast music. We have not broadcast any kind of music,” she said.
Sorosh said at 11:40 am on Thursday (7:10 GMT), representatives from the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Vice and Virtue Directorate arrived at the station and shut it down.
...
Al-Jazeera
Sadai Banowan station head denies any violation, saying there was no need for the closure and called it a conspiracy.
A women-run radio station in Afghanistan’s northeast has been shut down for playing music during the holy month of Ramadan, a Taliban official said.
Sadai Banowan, which means women’s voice in Dari, is Afghanistan’s only women-run station and started 10 years ago. It has eight staff, six of them female.
Moezuddin Ahmadi, the director for Information and Culture in Badakhshan province, said the station violated the “laws and regulations of the Islamic Emirate” several times by broadcasting songs and music during Ramadan and was shuttered because of the breach.
“If this radio station accepts the policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and gives a guarantee that it will not repeat such a thing again, we will allow it to operate again,” said Ahmadi.
Station head Najia Sorosh denied there was any violation, saying there was no need for the closure and called it a conspiracy. The Taliban “told us that you have broadcast music. We have not broadcast any kind of music,” she said.
Sorosh said at 11:40 am on Thursday (7:10 GMT), representatives from the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Vice and Virtue Directorate arrived at the station and shut it down.
...
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned Afghanistan's Taliban authorities for banning Afghan women from working for the United Nations and called for the decision to be immediately revoked.
"This is a violation of the inalienable fundamental human rights of women," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on behalf of the secretary-general.
The UN mission in Afghanistan said that, although it could not accept the decision, it had told all Afghan staff not to report to the office until further notice for safety reasons.
Taliban administration spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment. The Taliban administration, which seized power as US-led forces withdrew, says it respects women's rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Reuters
"This is a violation of the inalienable fundamental human rights of women," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on behalf of the secretary-general.
The UN mission in Afghanistan said that, although it could not accept the decision, it had told all Afghan staff not to report to the office until further notice for safety reasons.
Taliban administration spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment. The Taliban administration, which seized power as US-led forces withdrew, says it respects women's rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Reuters
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In a world that often seems divided by darkness, the quest for light takes many forms. For Afghanistan, a nation torn by decades of conflict, the pursuit of enlightenment through education has become a battleground of ideologies and aspirations. At the heart of this struggle, recent remarks by Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abaad Stanikzai have ignited a conversation that transcends borders and politics, touching the very essence of human rights and development.
In an unexpected deviation from the norm, Stanikzai called education 'obligatory' for the nation's advancement, stressing its importance for both girls and boys. This statement, made in September, marked a significant contrast to the prevailing Taliban policies that have severely restricted women's access to education since their ascent to power over two years ago. The Taliban's approach, allowing only religious education for girls and escalating the number of religious schools, has not only stifled dreams but also isolated Afghanistan on the global stage. Amidst a humanitarian crisis, with millions in dire need of aid and education, Stanikzai's comments offer a glimpse into the internal conflicts within the Taliban regarding the path forward.
The international community has watched with bated breath as the Taliban's policies unravel decades of progress for Afghan women and girls. The ban on education beyond the sixth grade and at the university level remains a stark symbol of the regime's repressive stance, drawing widespread condemnation. In this context, Stanikzai's critique of those who deprive education as 'oppressive and unjust' presents a paradox. It reflects a divide within the Taliban itself, between those who recognize the imperative of education for national development and those who cling to a rigid interpretation of Islamic law that restricts women's roles in society. This internal conflict is mirrored on the international stage, where engagement with the Taliban is seen as both a necessity for stability and a contentious endorsement of their governance.
Despite Stanikzai's assertions, the reality for Afghan women and girls remains grim. The continued ban on their education beyond elementary levels speaks louder than words, underscoring the challenges of translating rhetoric into action. The question remains: Can these remarks signal the beginning of a meaningful policy shift, or are they merely an attempt to placate international critics while maintaining a status quo that suppresses half the population's potential? As Afghanistan teeters on the brink of a humanitarian disaster, the answer to this question holds the key not only to the country's future but to the very soul of its people.
The journey towards enlightenment, fraught with obstacles and contradictions, continues to unfold in Afghanistan. In the interplay of darkness and light, the path forward remains uncertain, guided by the flickers of hope that emerge from the most unexpected sources. The world watches, waits, and wonders whether these sparks will ignite a flame of change or be extinguished by the winds of resistance.
Source: BNN
bnnbreaking.com
In an unexpected deviation from the norm, Stanikzai called education 'obligatory' for the nation's advancement, stressing its importance for both girls and boys. This statement, made in September, marked a significant contrast to the prevailing Taliban policies that have severely restricted women's access to education since their ascent to power over two years ago. The Taliban's approach, allowing only religious education for girls and escalating the number of religious schools, has not only stifled dreams but also isolated Afghanistan on the global stage. Amidst a humanitarian crisis, with millions in dire need of aid and education, Stanikzai's comments offer a glimpse into the internal conflicts within the Taliban regarding the path forward.
The international community has watched with bated breath as the Taliban's policies unravel decades of progress for Afghan women and girls. The ban on education beyond the sixth grade and at the university level remains a stark symbol of the regime's repressive stance, drawing widespread condemnation. In this context, Stanikzai's critique of those who deprive education as 'oppressive and unjust' presents a paradox. It reflects a divide within the Taliban itself, between those who recognize the imperative of education for national development and those who cling to a rigid interpretation of Islamic law that restricts women's roles in society. This internal conflict is mirrored on the international stage, where engagement with the Taliban is seen as both a necessity for stability and a contentious endorsement of their governance.
Despite Stanikzai's assertions, the reality for Afghan women and girls remains grim. The continued ban on their education beyond elementary levels speaks louder than words, underscoring the challenges of translating rhetoric into action. The question remains: Can these remarks signal the beginning of a meaningful policy shift, or are they merely an attempt to placate international critics while maintaining a status quo that suppresses half the population's potential? As Afghanistan teeters on the brink of a humanitarian disaster, the answer to this question holds the key not only to the country's future but to the very soul of its people.
The journey towards enlightenment, fraught with obstacles and contradictions, continues to unfold in Afghanistan. In the interplay of darkness and light, the path forward remains uncertain, guided by the flickers of hope that emerge from the most unexpected sources. The world watches, waits, and wonders whether these sparks will ignite a flame of change or be extinguished by the winds of resistance.
Source: BNN
A Flicker of Hope or Mere Rhetoric? Taliban's Mixed Messages on Education in Afghanistan
Explore the internal conflicts within the Taliban regarding education, as recent remarks by Deputy Foreign Minister Stanikzai spark global conversations on human rights and development.
bnnbreaking.com
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Actions speak louder than words. It's up to them to make sure Afghan women have real opportunities.
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In Afghanistan, women and children bearing worst of hunger crisis
Afghanistan is one of several countries around the world in the grip of a food crisis, where a mix of politics, economics and nature’s ravages are taking a heavy toll on vast sections of a vulnerable population.In a country emerging from decades of war and turmoil, women and children are among those particularly impacted by biting food insecurity, according to the UN’s World Food Program (WFP).
“Some of the most affected by the hunger crisis at the moment are women and girls,” Philippe Kropf, WFP’s head of communications in Afghanistan, told Anadolu.
Currently, a third of the Afghan population, or nearly 16 million people, are going hungry, and every province is at crisis levels of food insecurity, or higher, according to the UN agency.
“We have 15.8 million people in acute food insecurity, which includes 3.5 million people facing emergency levels of food insecurity,” Kropf said.
UN figures paint a grim picture for women and girls, with an estimated 1 million malnourished, pregnant and breastfeeding women in Afghanistan in 2023.
Around 2 million girls and boys under the age of 5 were facing moderate acute malnutrition, and nearly 860,000 girls and boys under 5 had severe acute malnutrition.
“Severe acute malnutrition is one of the worst cases, where children do, unfortunately, die regularly,” said Kropf.
Crisis of access
One stark difference when comparing Afghanistan to other countries grappling with food crises is the level of availability.
In Afghanistan, according to the WFP, food is available in most parts of the country, even in the smaller remote districts.
The challenge is that families, including, and in most cases, women and girls, cannot access it because they do not have the money to buy it.
“Afghanistan is a crisis where the most vulnerable women and children cannot access the food that is on the market,” Kropf explained.
Curbs imposed on women’s employment have severely impacted households where women are the main providers.
Many of these are women and widows who are currently not able to go out to work, he said.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Girls Express Hopes and Dreams for New Academic Year
With the start of the new academic year just six days away, several girls who have missed out on education are voicing their concerns over the ongoing school closures, expressing a strong desire to return to their studies.They emphasize their unwillingness to endure the hardships they faced over the past two years, marked by a lack of access to education.
Yalda, who was close to completing the tenth grade, has found solace in painting during her time away from school.
In a conversation with a TOLOnews reporter, she shared her readiness for the new academic year, along with her hopes to rejoin her classmates soon.
"I hope this year marks my return to school; we're prepared, having purchased school uniforms, notebooks, pens, and books. I've also been keeping in touch with my friends," Yalda added.
For many girl students, the thought of schools reopening and returning to their studies has become a dream.
Nourin, another student, shared her hopes: "This year, we aim not to revisit the bitter experiences of the past but to concentrate on realizing our future dreams and aspirations."
Addressing the ongoing closure of schools, Bahar, another student, appealed to the Islamic Emirate: "I urge the authorities to reopen the schools for us. I don't want to face disappointment as I did last year, being turned away at the school gates."
University professors have highlighted the broader societal implications of continued school closures.
Professor Parviz Khalili said: "With each day that girls are barred from education, Afghanistan confronts increasing challenges and problems."
Although the Islamic Emirate has not recently commented on the reopening of schools for girls in the new academic year, it has previously stated that the closure of schools and universities for girls is temporary, with efforts underway to reopen them.
Girls Express Hopes and Dreams for New Academic Year | TOLOnews
They emphasize their unwillingness to endure the hardships they faced over the past two years, marked by a lack of access to education.
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Taliban vow to start stoning women to death in public for adultery in Afghanistan, as supreme leader blasts the West's support for women's rights
The Taliban will soon start stoning women to death in public, the radical group's Supreme Leader announced as he declared war against Western democracy.
Addressing Western officials in a voice message broadcast on state TV Saturday, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada called the Western human rights defenders 'representatives of the devil'.
'You say it's a violation of women's rights when we stone them to death. But we will soon implement the punishment for adultery,' he told the West in his harshest comments since taking over Afghanistan in 2021.
"We will flog women in public. We will stone them to death in public,' he announced.
'These are all against your democracy but we will continue doing it.
'We both say we defend human rights – we do it as God's representative and you as the devil's,' he added.
'You are treating women like animals, are these your rights?'
Afghanistan's state TV, now controlled by the Taliban, airs voice messages claiming to be from Akhundzada, who has never been seen in public.
In a further affront to international advocacy for women's rights, Akhundzada criticised the calls for such rights as contradictory to the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
'Do women want the rights that Westerners are talking about?
'They are against Sharia and clerics' opinions, the clerics who toppled Western democracy,' he asserted.
'One is God's league and another one is the devil's and we are on God's side,' he claimed.
The Taliban, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, began carrying out severe punishments in public shortly after coming to power.
The punishments are similar to those during their previous rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Akhundzada has called the Taliban foot soldiers to be resilient in opposing women's rights and said the war against Western democracy and values will continue for decades to come.
'I told the Mujahedin that we tell the Westerners that we fought against you for 20 years and we will fight 20 and even more years against you' he said.
'Taking over Kabul did not mean we would now sit in offices and drink tea.
'It did not finish (when you left), we will now bring Sharia into action on this land,' he warned.
He criticised Western human rights values and women's freedoms, saying Taliban religious scholars and clerics would persistently resist the West and its form of democracy in Afghanistan.
His comments have sparked outrage among Afghans, prompting some to urge the international community to escalate pressure on the Taliban.
Naseer Faiq, Charge d'Affaires of Afghanistan to the United Nations, said that deciding the fate of the Afghans without their consent 'is not acceptable'.
'At what cost? For over two decades, under this slogan, thousands of innocent Afghans, including brainwashed Taliban, have been killed, the country destroyed, millions forced to migrate, and Afghanistan plunged into a deep crisis,' he said in a post on X, referring to Akhundzada's comments
'Isn't that enough? Profiting from the Afghan people's blood is unacceptable and forbidden in Islam,' he added.
The Taliban regained power in August 2021, following the collapse of the internationally supported government and the withdrawal of all US-led Western troops after nearly 20 years of involvement in the Afghan war.
Akhundzada has halted girls' education in Afghanistan beyond the sixth grade and imposed growing restrictions on women's participation in public and private workplaces, including barring them from employment with the United Nations and other aid organisations.
Women are prohibited from taking long road and air trips without a male relative accompanying them, and they are restricted from visiting public places such as parks, gyms, and bathhouses.
The Taliban leader justifies these measures, asserting that they are following Afghan culture and Islamic principles.
Since leaders of the impoverished country with one of the world's most oppressed people seized power by force, Afghanistan's economy has collapsed and pushed millions into poverty.
Taliban vow to start stoning women to death in public for adultery
A TV broadcast on Saturday saw supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada call the Western human rights defenders 'representatives of the devil'
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I feel disgust towards such animals, I don't know when Afghan people will be free from Talibans.
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Hundreds of cases of femicide recorded in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover are ‘tip of the iceberg’
The 300-plus reported cases of Afghan women being killed by men since the Taliban seized power are just “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the true scale of gender-based violence in Afghanistan, according to new data analysis.
Open-source investigators at the Centre of Information Resilience’s Afghan Witness project combed through social media and news sites to record 332 reported cases of femicide since the Taliban took Kabul on 15 August 2021.
The analysis, which is one of the first attempts to try to collect data on the levels of sexual and physical violence against women in Afghanistan, also found 840 women and girls had been subject to gender-based violence from 1 January 2022 – when Afghan Witness began collating data – to 30 June this year, almost one a day.
More than half of the reported cases said that Taliban officials were responsible. Analysis of crimes allegedly perpetrated by the Taliban revealed 115 incidents of sexual violence, including forced marriage, sexual slavery, assault and rape.
Another 73 incidents concerned non-sexual violence and torture, while 113 involved the reported arrests of women, many for flouting the regime’s repressive policies on women and girls, which include forbidding them to travel significant distances without a male guardian.
The Taliban’s shutdown of most independent media outlets and the widespread restriction and persecution of journalists – as well as continuing political repression and online intimidation – means that the number of cases reported is likely to be a vast underestimation of the true scale of death and violence inflicted on Afghan women, according to David Osborn, the project director of Afghan Witness.
“What we have collected is only the tip of the iceberg,” he says. “[It is] more and more difficult for Afghan women to speak out and for us to document gender-based violence and the impact of Taliban rule on women and girls.”
In the three years since seizing power from the US-backed government, the Taliban have imposed what human rights groups are calling a “gender apartheid” on Afghanistan’s 14 million women and girls, excluding them from almost every aspect of public life and denying them access to the justice system.
Women and girls are blocked from attending secondary school; banned from almost every form of paid employment; prevented from walking in public parks, attending gyms or beauty salons; and told to comply with a strict dress code.
The Taliban have also announced the reintroduction of the public flogging and stoning of women for adultery.
A UN survey last December found that 76% of Afghan women and girls who responded classed their mental health since the Taliban seized power as “bad” or “very bad”, reporting insomnia, depression, anxiety, loss of appetite and headaches as a result of their trauma.
In response to repressive Taliban policies, some women have continued to resist, staging a series of street protests in Kabul and other major cities. Last month, the Guardian published accounts from female protesters who described how they were beaten, abused or jailed for speaking out – one video viewed by the Guardian appeared to show a female protester being raped inside a Taliban jail.
Afghan Witness’s open-source data analysis also chronicles how public protests against the Taliban regime have declined significantly over the past three years.
The research shows that in the months after the 2021 Taliban takeover, 88% of protests were held outdoors. This dropped to 49% in 2022 and continued to fall. Now 94% of demonstrations are held online, often with locations and identities hidden.
The Taliban also appear to have tightened their enforcement of certain restrictions over the past year. Afghan Witness verified footage of women being arrested “en masse” in Kabul in January 2024, allegedly for failing to comply with hijab rules. Some young women who said that they were arrested for “bad hijab’’ also say they were subject to violence and sexual assault while in detention.
SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/global-...since-taliban-takeover-are-tip-of-the-iceberg
The 300-plus reported cases of Afghan women being killed by men since the Taliban seized power are just “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the true scale of gender-based violence in Afghanistan, according to new data analysis.
Open-source investigators at the Centre of Information Resilience’s Afghan Witness project combed through social media and news sites to record 332 reported cases of femicide since the Taliban took Kabul on 15 August 2021.
The analysis, which is one of the first attempts to try to collect data on the levels of sexual and physical violence against women in Afghanistan, also found 840 women and girls had been subject to gender-based violence from 1 January 2022 – when Afghan Witness began collating data – to 30 June this year, almost one a day.
More than half of the reported cases said that Taliban officials were responsible. Analysis of crimes allegedly perpetrated by the Taliban revealed 115 incidents of sexual violence, including forced marriage, sexual slavery, assault and rape.
Another 73 incidents concerned non-sexual violence and torture, while 113 involved the reported arrests of women, many for flouting the regime’s repressive policies on women and girls, which include forbidding them to travel significant distances without a male guardian.
The Taliban’s shutdown of most independent media outlets and the widespread restriction and persecution of journalists – as well as continuing political repression and online intimidation – means that the number of cases reported is likely to be a vast underestimation of the true scale of death and violence inflicted on Afghan women, according to David Osborn, the project director of Afghan Witness.
“What we have collected is only the tip of the iceberg,” he says. “[It is] more and more difficult for Afghan women to speak out and for us to document gender-based violence and the impact of Taliban rule on women and girls.”
In the three years since seizing power from the US-backed government, the Taliban have imposed what human rights groups are calling a “gender apartheid” on Afghanistan’s 14 million women and girls, excluding them from almost every aspect of public life and denying them access to the justice system.
Women and girls are blocked from attending secondary school; banned from almost every form of paid employment; prevented from walking in public parks, attending gyms or beauty salons; and told to comply with a strict dress code.
The Taliban have also announced the reintroduction of the public flogging and stoning of women for adultery.
A UN survey last December found that 76% of Afghan women and girls who responded classed their mental health since the Taliban seized power as “bad” or “very bad”, reporting insomnia, depression, anxiety, loss of appetite and headaches as a result of their trauma.
In response to repressive Taliban policies, some women have continued to resist, staging a series of street protests in Kabul and other major cities. Last month, the Guardian published accounts from female protesters who described how they were beaten, abused or jailed for speaking out – one video viewed by the Guardian appeared to show a female protester being raped inside a Taliban jail.
Afghan Witness’s open-source data analysis also chronicles how public protests against the Taliban regime have declined significantly over the past three years.
The research shows that in the months after the 2021 Taliban takeover, 88% of protests were held outdoors. This dropped to 49% in 2022 and continued to fall. Now 94% of demonstrations are held online, often with locations and identities hidden.
The Taliban also appear to have tightened their enforcement of certain restrictions over the past year. Afghan Witness verified footage of women being arrested “en masse” in Kabul in January 2024, allegedly for failing to comply with hijab rules. Some young women who said that they were arrested for “bad hijab’’ also say they were subject to violence and sexual assault while in detention.
SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/global-...since-taliban-takeover-are-tip-of-the-iceberg
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1.4 mn girls banned from Afghan schools since Taliban return: UNESCO
At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with the future of an entire generation now "in jeopardy", the United Nations' cultural agency said Thursday.
Access to primary education has also fallen sharply, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school, UNESCO said in a statement as the Taliban authorities marked three years since retaking Afghanistan on August 15, 2021.
"UNESCO is alarmed by the harmful consequences of this increasingly massive drop-out rate, which could lead to a rise in child labour and early marriage," the agency said.
"In just three years, the de facto authorities have almost wiped out two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan, and the future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy."
There are now nearly 2.5 million girls deprived of their right to education, representing 80 percent of Afghan school-age girls, the UN agency said.
The Taliban administration, which is not recognised by any other country, has imposed restrictions on women that the UN has described as "gender apartheid."
Afghanistan is the only country in the world to stop girls and women attending secondary schools and universities.
"As a result of bans imposed by the de facto authorities, at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since 2021," UNESCO said.
This represents an increase of 300,000 since the previous count carried out by the UN agency in April 2023.
UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay urged the international community to remain mobilised "to obtain the unconditional reopening of schools and universities to Afghan girls and women."
The number of primary pupils has also fallen. Afghanistan had only 5.7 million girls and boys in primary school in 2022, compared with 6.8 million in 2019, UNESCO said.
The UN agency blamed the drop on the authorities' decision to ban female teachers from teaching boys as well as the lack of incentive for parents to send children to school.
Enrolment in higher education in equally concerning, the statement said, adding that the number of university students had decreased by 53 percent since 2021.
"As a result, the country will rapidly face a shortage of graduates trained for the most highly-skilled jobs, which will only exacerbate development problems," UNESCO said.
Dunya News
At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with the future of an entire generation now "in jeopardy", the United Nations' cultural agency said Thursday.
Access to primary education has also fallen sharply, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school, UNESCO said in a statement as the Taliban authorities marked three years since retaking Afghanistan on August 15, 2021.
"UNESCO is alarmed by the harmful consequences of this increasingly massive drop-out rate, which could lead to a rise in child labour and early marriage," the agency said.
"In just three years, the de facto authorities have almost wiped out two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan, and the future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy."
There are now nearly 2.5 million girls deprived of their right to education, representing 80 percent of Afghan school-age girls, the UN agency said.
The Taliban administration, which is not recognised by any other country, has imposed restrictions on women that the UN has described as "gender apartheid."
Afghanistan is the only country in the world to stop girls and women attending secondary schools and universities.
"As a result of bans imposed by the de facto authorities, at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since 2021," UNESCO said.
This represents an increase of 300,000 since the previous count carried out by the UN agency in April 2023.
UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay urged the international community to remain mobilised "to obtain the unconditional reopening of schools and universities to Afghan girls and women."
The number of primary pupils has also fallen. Afghanistan had only 5.7 million girls and boys in primary school in 2022, compared with 6.8 million in 2019, UNESCO said.
The UN agency blamed the drop on the authorities' decision to ban female teachers from teaching boys as well as the lack of incentive for parents to send children to school.
Enrolment in higher education in equally concerning, the statement said, adding that the number of university students had decreased by 53 percent since 2021.
"As a result, the country will rapidly face a shortage of graduates trained for the most highly-skilled jobs, which will only exacerbate development problems," UNESCO said.
Dunya News
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Nothing could be worse than this
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And it will continue until the Taliban are permanently removed from government
ghalib kichlu
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Just shows noone really cares about afghan women, not the indian or the Chinese or biden
This carried on under karzai and before him mojaddedi
Where is the noor inayat, the duleep Singh, the Florence nightingale of Afghanistan?
This carried on under karzai and before him mojaddedi
Where is the noor inayat, the duleep Singh, the Florence nightingale of Afghanistan?
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Afghan women 'banned from midwife courses' in latest blow to rights
Women training as midwives and nurses in Afghanistan have told the BBC they were ordered not to return to classes in the morning - effectively closing off their last route to further education in the country.
Five separate institutions across Afghanistan have also confirmed to the BBC that the Taliban had instructed them to close until further notice, with videos shared online showing students crying at the news.
The BBC has yet to confirm the order officially with the Taliban government's health ministry.
However, the closure appears to be in line with the group's wider policy on female education, which has seen teenage girls unable to access secondary and higher education since August 2021.
The Taliban have repeatedly promised they would be readmitted to school once a number of issues were resolved - including ensuring the curriculum was "Islamic".
This has yet to happen.
One of the few avenues still open to women seeking education was through the country's further education colleges, where they could learn to be nurses or midwives.
Midwifery and nursing are also one of the only careers women can pursue under the Taliban government's restrictions on women - a vital one, as male medics are not allowed to treat women unless a male guardian is present.
Just three months ago, the BBC was given access to one Taliban-run midwife training centre, where more than a dozen women in their 20s were learning how to deliver babies.
The women were happy to have been given the chance to learn.
“My family feels so proud of me," a trainee called Safia said. "I have left my children at home to come here, but they know I’m serving the country."
But even then, some of the women expressed fear about whether even this might be stopped eventually.
What will happen to those women - and another estimated 17,000 women on training courses - is unclear.
No formal announcement has been made, although two sources in the Ministry of Health confirmed the ban to BBC Afghan off the record.
In videos sent to the BBC from other training colleges, trainees can be heard weeping.
"Standing here and crying won’t help," a student tells a group of women in one video. "The Vice and Virtue officials [who enforce Taliban rules] are nearby, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of you."
Other videos shared with the BBC show women quietly protesting as they leave the colleges - singing as they make their way through the hallways.
One Kabul student said she had been told to "wait until further notice".
"Even though it is the end of our semester, exams have not yet been conducted, and we have not been given permission to take them," she told the BBC.
Another student revealed they "were only given time to grab our bags and leave the classrooms".
"They even told us not to stand in the courtyard because the Taliban could arrive at any moment, and something might happen. Everyone was terrified," she said. "For many of us, attending classes was a small glimmer of hope after long periods of unemployment, depression, and isolation at home."
What this means for women's healthcare also now remains to be seen: last year, the United Nations said Afghanistan needed an additional 18,000 midwives to meet the country's needs.
Afghanistan already has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with a report released last year noting 620 women were dying per 100,000 live births.
BBC
Women training as midwives and nurses in Afghanistan have told the BBC they were ordered not to return to classes in the morning - effectively closing off their last route to further education in the country.
Five separate institutions across Afghanistan have also confirmed to the BBC that the Taliban had instructed them to close until further notice, with videos shared online showing students crying at the news.
The BBC has yet to confirm the order officially with the Taliban government's health ministry.
However, the closure appears to be in line with the group's wider policy on female education, which has seen teenage girls unable to access secondary and higher education since August 2021.
The Taliban have repeatedly promised they would be readmitted to school once a number of issues were resolved - including ensuring the curriculum was "Islamic".
This has yet to happen.
One of the few avenues still open to women seeking education was through the country's further education colleges, where they could learn to be nurses or midwives.
Midwifery and nursing are also one of the only careers women can pursue under the Taliban government's restrictions on women - a vital one, as male medics are not allowed to treat women unless a male guardian is present.
Just three months ago, the BBC was given access to one Taliban-run midwife training centre, where more than a dozen women in their 20s were learning how to deliver babies.
The women were happy to have been given the chance to learn.
“My family feels so proud of me," a trainee called Safia said. "I have left my children at home to come here, but they know I’m serving the country."
But even then, some of the women expressed fear about whether even this might be stopped eventually.
What will happen to those women - and another estimated 17,000 women on training courses - is unclear.
No formal announcement has been made, although two sources in the Ministry of Health confirmed the ban to BBC Afghan off the record.
In videos sent to the BBC from other training colleges, trainees can be heard weeping.
"Standing here and crying won’t help," a student tells a group of women in one video. "The Vice and Virtue officials [who enforce Taliban rules] are nearby, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of you."
Other videos shared with the BBC show women quietly protesting as they leave the colleges - singing as they make their way through the hallways.
One Kabul student said she had been told to "wait until further notice".
"Even though it is the end of our semester, exams have not yet been conducted, and we have not been given permission to take them," she told the BBC.
Another student revealed they "were only given time to grab our bags and leave the classrooms".
"They even told us not to stand in the courtyard because the Taliban could arrive at any moment, and something might happen. Everyone was terrified," she said. "For many of us, attending classes was a small glimmer of hope after long periods of unemployment, depression, and isolation at home."
What this means for women's healthcare also now remains to be seen: last year, the United Nations said Afghanistan needed an additional 18,000 midwives to meet the country's needs.
Afghanistan already has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with a report released last year noting 620 women were dying per 100,000 live births.
BBC
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Rashid Khan highlights the significance of women's education in Afghanistan and calls on the Taliban to reconsider their decision, as Afghan women face a ban on midwifery and nursing courses.
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Mohammad Nabi has also voiced his strong opposition to the Taliban’s recent closure of educational institutions for women, specifically those training to become nurses.
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Women arrested by Taliban for begging report rape and killings in Afghan jails
Destitute Afghan women arrested for begging under draconian new Taliban laws have spoken of “brutal” rapes and beatings in detention.
Over the past few months, many women said they had been targeted by Taliban officials and detained under anti-begging laws passed this year. While in prison, they claim they were subjected to sexual abuse, torture and forced labour, and witnessed children being beaten and abused.
All the women said they had no other option to begging on the streets for money and food for their children after being unable to find paid work.
Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, women have been barred from most paid work, which has seen levels of destitution, especially among female-led households, increase across the country.
In May, the Taliban passed new laws prohibiting “healthy people” from begging on the streets if they had enough money on them to pay for one day’s food.
A commission was established to register beggars and categorise them as “professional”, “destitute” or “organised”, which involves taking their biometric data and fingerprints. According to Taliban officials, nearly 60,000 beggars have already been “rounded up” in Kabul alone.
Zahra*, a 32-year-old mother of three, said she was forced to move to Kabul and beg on the streets for food when her husband, who was in the national army of the former government, disappeared after the Taliban took power in August 2021.
“I went to the neighbourhood councillor and told him I was a widow, asking for help to feed my three kids,” she said. “He said there was no help and told me to sit by the bakery [and] maybe someone would give me something.”
Zahra said she was unaware of the Taliban’s anti-begging laws until she was arrested.
“A Taliban car stopped near the bakery. They took my son by force and told me to get in the vehicle,” she said. Zahra claimed she spent three days and nights in a Taliban prison and that initially she was made to cook, clean and do laundry for the men working there.
She was then told she would be fingerprinted and have her biometric details recorded. When she resisted, she was beaten until she was left unconscious. She said she was then raped.
“[Since being released] I’ve thought about ending my life several times, but my children hold me back,” she said. “I wondered who would feed them if I weren’t here.
“Who can I complain to? No one will care, and I’m afraid they’d arrest me again if I spoke up. For my life and my children’s safety, I can’t say anything.”
Another woman, Parwana*, said she was detained while begging in Kabul in October with her four-year-old daughter after her husband abandoned them. She said she was taken to Badam Bagh prison and held for 15 days.
“They brought in everyone, even young children who polished shoes on the streets,” she said. “They’d tell us women why don’t we get married, beat us, and make us clean and wash dishes.”
Parwana also said she, along with another two women, was raped while in detention and that the attack had left her traumatised and depressed.
Along with multiple reports of rape and torture of women arrested under the anti-begging laws, former detainees also told the Afghan news outlet Zan Times that they witnessed the abuse of young children in prison, with one woman alleging that two children were beaten to death while she was in detention.
“No one dared speak,” she said. “If we spoke up, they’d beat us and call us shameless. Watching those children die before my eyes is something I’ll never forget.”
The death of detainees rounded up under anti-begging laws is factored into the wording of the Taliban’s new law, in which Article 25 states: “If a beggar dies while in custody and has no relatives or if the family refuses to collect the body, the municipal officials will handle the burial.”
Under the new laws, those classed as “destitute” are legally entitled to financial assistance after their release, but none of the women said they had received any help.
Parwana said that since her release she had been too afraid to beg for food again and instead relied on her neighbours for handouts.
“These days, I go door to door in my neighbourhood, collecting stale, dry bread. I have no other choice,” she said. “The Taliban are brutal and oppressive but where can I go to complain about them? We are alone.”
The Taliban authorities did not reply to multiple requests for a response.
Women arrested by Taliban for begging report rape and killings in Afghan jails
Draconian new laws allow mass incarceration of women and children forced to beg because of work ban
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