1,000 Days of Education Ban Hits Afghan Women with Mental Health Crisis and Forced Marriages

It has been 1,000 days since the Taliban barred women from attending universities, a move that has left over 100,000 young women’s education and futures in limbo. The milestone comes as international agencies warn of a rise in mental health issues and child marriages among Afghan women as a direct result of the restrictions.

According to Amu TV, the ban, which was first announced on December 20, 2022, ordered all universities and higher education institutes to close their doors to female students. The restrictions have reportedly deepened, with the Taliban also beginning to cut internet access in several provinces, depriving women who had turned to online classes of their last option to study.

The human toll is significant. A former medical student, Malika, shared her personal despair, stating, “It has been 1,000 days since universities were closed to us. I was supposed to become a doctor and had hope for my studies and work. Today I sit at home and grow more depressed every day.” She added that some girls are “confined in despair, and others are forced into marriage.”

A UNICEF report has warned that the ban is fueling mental health problems and early pregnancies. According to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, the denial of education and social interaction threatens Afghanistan’s long-term stability by excluding half of the population from contributing to the workforce and national development.

UNESCO reports that more than 100,000 young women have been denied higher education since the ban began, which followed earlier restrictions on girls’ secondary education. Rights groups and international agencies state that Afghanistan is now the only country in the world where women and girls are banned from both secondary and higher education, calling it a violation of fundamental human rights.