Barred from schools, universities female students start own businesses in Afghanistan

Kabul: Due to the Taliban-imposed ban on access to education for girls and women students in Afghanistan, some of them have launched their own enterprises in order to support their families economically, TOLOnews reported.
They claimed that after being denied admission to schools, they started new companies to help themselves and their families. A student of law and political science faculty at one of Kabul's universities told TOLOnews that she has opened a clothes and cosmetics shop.
"We work here, but our employees cannot replace our studies. To ensure our future and the future of our nation, as well as its development, we must study to become professionals," she said.
Afghan girls have repeatedly called on the Taliban to immediately open schools and universities for them, however, there is no development on the situation of females' right to education in the country hit by economic and humanitarian crises.
In a separate statement, Atefa, a resident of Kabul said, "We are happy to see that our sisters are working under the rule of the Islamic Emirate. We can easily buy what we need from them."
"Universities and schools are closed to girls. We see that girls are selling things here, and we buy our necessary things from them easily," said another resident of Kabul, Madina, according to TOLOnews.
Taliban has rolled back a wide range of human rights of women and girls, including a ban on attending high school and university, restrictions on movement and work, and in December, a decree banning female nationals from working in most NGOs.
Facing decades-long conflict, Afghanistan grapples with numerous challenges including a food shortage as foreign governments are cutting development funding and imposing sanctions, in large part due to the Taliban's restrictions on women.
Despite widespread condemnation, there are still restrictions on how many women can work for the UN, including a ban on girls' higher education beyond the sixth grade, Khaama Press reported.
Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021 after the US exit from the country, women are not allowed to work in the fields of education with domestic and international organisations, in gyms, or in public spaces. (ANI)