Taliban’s Ban on Women’s Education Sparks Calls for Intervention

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Taliban government in Afghanistan announced that female students have been banned from attending both private and public universities, effective immediately and until further notice. This latest edict represents a significant crackdown on women’s rights and freedoms in the country. Despite initially claiming that they would adopt a more moderate approach and respect the rights of women and minorities, the Taliban have implemented their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, in a number of ways that significantly restrict the rights of women. In addition to banning girls from attending middle school and high school, they have also restricted women from most employment opportunities, ordered them to wear full body covering clothing in public, and prohibited them from using parks and gyms. For more information, Lars speaks with Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, who is the president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.