Synopsis
The UN has declared the denial of education to Afghan girls as a serious injustice, urging the restoration of their rights as schools reopen in Afghanistan. The continuous ban imposed by the Taliban for three years is a violation of fundamental rights, which will have generational consequences.Key Takeaways
- The UN calls the ban on Afghan girls' education a serious injustice.
- Over 1.1 million secondary school-aged girls are currently out of school.
- Girls have been denied education for three consecutive years.
- Activists launched the 'Let's Study' campaign against the Taliban's education ban.
- The Afghan economy could lose $9.6 billion by 2066 if the ban continues.
New York, March 27 (NationPress) The United Nations Women has expressed that restricting Afghan girls from receiving an education is a serious injustice that will have lingering effects for many generations. The organization is advocating for the protection of the essential rights of Afghan girls as schools in Afghanistan reopen without their presence.
It emphasized that girls should be allowed to attend schools despite the Afghan Taliban's ongoing ban on female education, which has now persisted for three consecutive years.
“Girls belong in school. Yet, in Afghanistan, girls are being denied their right to education for the third year in a row, as schools reopen without them. Denying them education is a serious injustice that will haunt generations. Their fundamental rights must be restored, NOW,” UN Women stated on X on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, cautioned that the denial of education to girls will have long-term consequences for Afghanistan.
“As a new school year starts in Afghanistan, the doors remain shut to thousands of girls — for the third consecutive year. This violation of their educational rights will have lasting consequences. Girls must be allowed back in school. Their fundamental rights must be reinstated — without delay,” Sima Bahous posted on X.
A report from UN Women reveals that since August 2021, the Taliban have systematically undermined the access to education for women and girls in Afghanistan, imposing increasingly harsh restrictions.
Initially, girls were barred from secondary schools in March 2022, followed by a suspension from universities in December of the same year.
By January 2023, the Taliban intensified their oppressive measures by preventing girls from taking university entrance exams, effectively erasing the progress that had previously seen higher examination participation rates for girls than boys in some provinces.
In 2024, a UN Women's report on Afghanistan indicates that 1.1 million girls of secondary school age are currently out of school. Although primary schools remain open for girls, enrollment has declined due to social norms, access issues, and safety concerns.
The condition of women’s rights in Afghanistan has drastically worsened under Taliban rule.
Years of hard-won achievements toward gender equality have been dismantled by a series of oppressive edicts. It is estimated that the Afghan economy could suffer a loss of $9.6 billion by 2066 if the ban on women’s higher education continues.
Recently, several women activists have initiated a campaign titled 'Let's Study' to coincide with the beginning of the new academic year, condemning the Taliban's prohibition on education.
In an online statement, the activists mentioned that with the commencement of the new school year, an additional 400,000 girls have been deprived of education as the Taliban bars Afghan girls from accessing secondary and higher education.
This campaign, organized by women’s rights advocates in the South Asian nation, also urged the international community to stand with Afghan women in their fight for educational access against the Taliban's ban, which they described as imposed by an “ignorant terrorist group.”
