I lived through the first Taliban girls’ school ban — watching it happen again is heartbreaking

In August 2021, the Taliban took control of Kabul and promptly banned girls from attending school past Grade 6. Afghanistan has been the only nation globally to officially prohibit girls and women from secondary and higher education. Afghan women are also forbidden from working in numerous sectors they previously occupied, such as civil service and international aid organizations.

Nearly 2.2 million adolescent girls have been denied secondary school education for nearly 1,800 days. According to a 2026 UNICEF analysis, Afghanistan may lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 health-care workers by 2030. The restrictions have already cost the country an estimated USD 84 million annually.

In September 2025, Taliban forces barred Afghan women, including United Nations staff, from entering UN offices. In January 2026, women civil servants lost the minimal pay they had received since 2021 for staying at home.

This second ban is not solely due to a lack of awareness, as everyone knows what's happening to Afghan girls. The issue lies in the world's failure to hold the Taliban accountable for their actions. Afghan women have consistently demanded basic rights like education and employment, even in the face of severe consequences, including arrests, torture, and killings.

Despite these dangers, they have organized protests and established underground schools to provide education to girls who would otherwise have no access to a classroom.

International efforts to address the situation have fallen short. The UN-led Doha process, where the Taliban meet separately from women and Afghan civil society groups, has excluded these groups from the main talks. While some countries have invoked Afghanistan's obligations under the UN convention against discrimination against women, the case has not yet reached the International Court of Justice.