MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st December, 2022) The European Union condemns the decision of the Taliban (sanctioned by the UN for terrorism) to impose ban on higher education for Afghan women, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday.
"The EU strongly condemns the Taliban's decision to suspend higher education for Afghan women. A unique move in the world that violates rights and aspirations of Afghans and deprives #Afghanistan of women's contributions to society," Borrell tweeted.
The EU official also noted, in reference to the situation with women in Afghanistan, that gender persecution was a "crime against the humanity."
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan, which is ruled by the Taliban, prohibited girls from attending universities and other higher education institutions.
Secondary education for girls has been prohibited in Afghanistan since September 2021.
According to a UNICEF report released in August, the fact that girls in Afghanistan are deprived of secondary education has cost the country's economy at least $500 million over the past 12 months, which amounts to 2.5% of GDP. If three million girls had been able to finish their education and enter the work force, they would have added at least $5.4 billion to Afghanistan's economy, the report added.
