Taliban bans women from being treated by male dentists in Kandahar

Taliban restricts internet and bans women from higher and medical education, cutting off access to learning

The Taliban has barred women in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province from receiving treatment from male dentists, according to local media reports.

Al Arabiya, citing Afghan outlets, said Taliban members ordered clinics not to allow female patients to be treated by male practitioners and removed women from facilities.

The move comes weeks after the group outlawed what it called “bold” poetry, adding to a long list of restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban retook power in August 2021 following the US withdrawal.

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Women and girls are already banned from universities, secondary schools and most workplaces, while parks, gyms and sports facilities have been closed to them. Female athletes remain prohibited from competing abroad.

Internet access has also been restricted in some provinces, cutting off online education and communication for families. In December 2022, the Taliban banned women from higher education, later extending the ban to medical training.

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This month, the authorities also removed books written by women from Afghanistan’s university curriculum, alongside works on human rights and sexual harassment. Officials said 680 titles were “of concern”, including 140 authored by women, such as Safety in the Chemical Laboratory.

Rights groups and international bodies have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s escalating restrictions, warning of the erasure of women from public life in Afghanistan.