Taliban rule entered its fifth year on Aug. 15, 2021 when the group retook Afghanistan's capital. On that anniversary, Right to Learn Afghanistan, a Calgary‑based charity, asked Canada to step up support for Afghan women and to consider new sanctions against the regime.
Restrictions on Afghan women
Since the takeover, the Taliban have barred girls from schooling beyond Grade 6, closed most workplaces to women and prohibited access to parks, gyms and sports centres. A ban on medical training has left few female health workers, a serious issue in a society where men are not permitted to treat women. The United Nations estimates that 2.4 million girls are denied education and that child malnutrition has risen sharply. UN Women describes the situation as the world's most severe gender‑based repression.
Virtual classrooms run by Right to Learn Afghanistan now serve students who cannot attend physical schools. The programme offers self‑directed modules, online libraries and scholarships for higher education abroad.
Canada's possible next steps
"Canada has been a champion of Afghan women," said Murwarid Ziayee, senior director of the charity. She praised Ottawa's repeated calls for the United Nations to include women's voices in any future engagement with the Taliban.
Ziayee urged the government to create university scholarships for Afghan girls, to freeze assets of Taliban officials and to bar regime figures from travelling. She also suggested that any negotiations with the Taliban be conducted by video link, the same method used for virtual classes.
Policy analysts note that Canada's historic involvement, more than 40,000 troops deployed under NATO from 2001 to 2014 and 158 soldiers killed, gives Ottawa a moral stake in the country's future. Expanding educational aid could align with Canada's broader commitment to gender equality and human rights in conflict zones.
Humanitarian groups caution that broad sanctions could hinder aid delivery. The debate over how to balance pressure on the Taliban with the need to keep food and medical supplies flowing continues in Ottawa.
As the anniversary passes, Ziayee warned that the plight of Afghan women risks fading from international attention. "We need to keep Afghanistan on the agenda," she said.
Based on reporting by Global News.