Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – A coalition of 17 female foreign ministers has issued a joint statement denouncing the Taliban’s continued assault on the rights of women and girls, following a new edict banning medical training for women. The statement warns that the decision will further endanger millions of Afghan women and children, deepening an already dire maternal health crisis.
The ministers also condemned Afghanistan’s status as the only country in the world where girls are barred from secondary and higher education, calling it a “collective blow” to the country’s long-term development. Internal Taliban dissent over the policy has emerged, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Abbas Stanikzai criticizing the education ban before reportedly fleeing to the UAE amid a crackdown on officials opposing the restrictions.
The statement comes as international efforts to hold the Taliban accountable gain momentum. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested arrest warrants for the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for crimes against Afghan women. Meanwhile, nearly 30 countries have joined a legal case against the Taliban at the International Court of Justice under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Afghan women and human rights defenders, warning that “no state can achieve peace, prosperity, or legitimacy while erasing women from public life.”
