The Taliban has banned women in Afghanistan from attending nursing and midwifery classes, further eroding women’s rights and jeopardizing the country’s fragile healthcare system. The directive, reportedly issued by Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, was communicated through the Ministry of Public Health to private medical institutions.
This move eliminates one of the last educational opportunities available to women under Taliban rule. Since their return to power in 2021, the Taliban have already banned girls from secondary education and women from universities, breaking promises to respect women’s rights.
Manizha Bakhtari, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Austria, called the decision “devastating,” noting it undermines the nation’s health infrastructure. “Preventing women from participating in essential professions will lead to higher maternal and neonatal mortality rates,” Bakhtari told Fox News Digital.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett described the ban as “inexplicable and unjustifiable,” warning of its harmful consequences for the entire Afghan population, especially in rural areas where cultural norms restrict male doctors from treating female patients.
Afghanistan already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally. The World Bank reports 620 women die per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related complications. The World Health Organization estimates that 24 Afghan women die each day from childbirth or pregnancy. With the new ban, the shortage of female healthcare workers is likely to worsen, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
The U.N. reported that 23 million Afghans required humanitarian aid in 2023, with 3.2 million children under five suffering from malnutrition. International bodies have urged the Taliban to reverse their oppressive policies toward women, which continue to harm both women’s rights and the broader Afghan society.