Fawzia Koofi, former member of the Afghan parliament, recently revealed that the Taliban has built 15,000 religious schools (madrasas) since returning to power.
These institutions allow girls to attend without age restrictions, while simultaneously banning them from continuing education beyond primary level in regular schools.
According to Koofi, these madrasas, established throughout Afghan villages, have become centers for promoting extremism and may produce “female Taliban” within five years.
She also expressed deep concern about the exclusion of Afghan women from international arenas and diplomacy, noting that the Taliban has forced the United Nations to exclude women and civil society representatives from global meetings related to Afghanistan.
This alarming trend was evident at last year’s Doha conference, where no women participated.
Koofi warned that making concessions to the Taliban only emboldens them to commit further human rights violations.
She emphasized that restrictions imposed on women in service sectors have created serious challenges in delivering essential services to women.
Despite Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany announcing in September 2024 their intention to file complaints against the Taliban at the International Court of Justice, no effective action has yet been taken to hold the Taliban accountable.
