In Afghanistan ,Taliban have arrested Matiullah Wesa, a prominent campaigner for female education, despite continuing to bar teenage girls and women from classrooms.
Wesa, who is 30 years old, has traveled to remote parts of Afghanistan in an effort to improve access to education for all children. He has often received threats in response to his activism, but it is not clear why the Taliban arrested him. His detention follows that of other activists who have been campaigning for women’s education, including Prof. Ismail Mashal, was arrested in Kabul in February while handing out free books.
Although he was released on March 5, he has not spoken out since then.
Wesa has been campaigning for girls’ right to study since the Taliban barred female education in 2021. On Monday, a day before his arrest, he tweeted a photo of women volunteers for Pen Path “asking for the Islamic rights to education for their daughters”. The UN’s mission in Afghanistan has also highlighted Wesa’s case and called on the Taliban to clarify his whereabouts and the reasons for his detainment.
Talibans return to power
Since the US-led forces withdrew and the Taliban regained power in 2021, they have gradually eroded women’s rights.
In September 2021, authorities only permitted boys and male teachers to attend reopened secondary schools. Although the Taliban announced in March 2022 that they would allow girls to attend, tearful schoolgirls were denied entry following what seemed to be an abrupt reversal by the leadership.
The Taliban announced that girls could return to school once they had formulated a comprehensive plan that adhered to Sharia and Afghan culture. However, in December 2022, the authorities also prohibited female students from attending universities.
The Taliban claim that they have temporarily closed schools and universities to women and girls until they can create a “suitable environment.”
However, they severely restrict women in other ways as well. The Taliban have issued a decree that mandates women to dress in a manner that only exposes their eyes and requires them to be accompanied by a male relative if they travel more than 72km (48 miles).
In November of last year, they prohibited women from going to parks, gyms, and swimming pools, depriving them of even the simplest freedoms. Although enforcement varies in different areas, these rules foster an atmosphere of fear and anxiety.