The Taliban’s ban on Afghan women attending nursing and midwife courses has been condemned as “an outrageous act of ignorance” by human rights organisations.
The official decree detailing the ban has not been shared publicly, but several media reports confirmed that the order was announced at a meeting of the Taliban public health ministry on Monday and communicated to training institutes soon after.
Nursing students and medical trainers from Kabul and the provinces confirmed to the Guardian that they had been informed by their institutes that their courses had been suspended.
“I was preparing for a test on Monday night when I received a message from my teacher about the closure of the institute,” said Sahar*, a 22-year-old nursing student.
“I couldn’t stop crying,” she said. “This was my last hope.”
A group of female students in Herat province gathered at the governor’s office in Herat on Thursday to protest at the closure of health science institutes, chanting “We will not give up our rights” and “Education is our right.”
Another medical student and activist from Kabul said: “A society without female doctors or medical workers is doomed.”
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