Afghan Women Students in Oman Face Imminent Deportation Due to USAID Funding Freeze

Afghan women studying in Oman under USAID scholarships are facing imminent deportation as funding gets cut. Many fear for their safety and future education once they return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where women's rights have deteriorated drastically.

More than 80 Afghan women who fled the Taliban seeking higher education in Oman now face the grim prospect of being sent back to Afghanistan following a sudden freeze on foreign aid programs by the Trump administration. These students were beneficiaries of scholarships funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the abrupt funding cessation has left many disheartened and fearful of returning to their homeland.

The students received distressing emails stating that their scholarships were "discontinued" due to the termination of the USAID program, a move ordered by President Donald Trump upon his return to office in January. "It was heart-breaking," one student said anonymously for fear of severe repercussions. "Everyone was shocked and crying. We've been told we will be sent back within two weeks."

Since the Taliban regained control nearly four years ago, they have implemented harsh restrictions on women, including prohibiting them from attending universities. The aid that previously enabled thousands of Afghan women to pursue education abroad or through online courses is now at risk.

Though the Trump administration’s aid freeze faces various legal challenges, thousands of humanitarian programs worldwide have seen drastic funding cuts as the government attempts to trim expenditure by billions. The Afghan women, currently in Oman, have begun preparing for the possibility of returning to a country where their education—and safety—are severely compromised.

The students under the Women's Scholarship Endowment (WSE) were seeking graduate and post-graduate degrees in fields that the Taliban has banned for women. "If we are sent back, we will face severe consequences," one student articulated. "We won't be able to study, and our families might force us to get married while we could also be at personal risk due to our past affiliations and activism."

These women, mostly in their 20s and previously qualified for scholarships in 2021, had fled to Pakistan last September, aided by USAID in acquiring visas for Oman. Now facing deportation, they have urgently called upon the international community for immediate assistance, financial support, and resettlement options in safer nations.

As they navigate the uncertain waters of their future amid declining hope, one student succinctly expressed the overwhelming distress: "It feels like everything has been taken away from me." The Taliban’s grip on power has imposed a "gender apartheid" that systematically denies women basic rights, including their fundamental right to education.

As discussions about women's education continue in international circles, the students remain in limbo, hoping that their pleas will resonate beyond borders and save them from a dire fate upon their expected return to Afghanistan.