Millions of Afghan Girls Out of School… UN Call to Save Their Future

The UN Children’s Agency, UNICEF, on Saturday urged the Taliban, which governs Afghanistan, to immediately lift the ongoing ban on girls’ education in order to save the future of millions of girls who have been deprived of their right to education since the Taliban regained power in 2021.

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This call from UNICEF comes at the start of a new school year in Afghanistan, with no girls attending school beyond sixth grade. The agency stated that the ban has deprived 400,000 new girls of their right to education, bringing the total to 2.2 million girls, according to the Associated Press.

It is worth noting that Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans secondary and higher education for women, with the Taliban justifying the ban by claiming it is incompatible with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

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Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s Executive Director, stated in a press release: “For more than three years, the rights of girls in Afghanistan have been violated… All girls must be allowed to return to school now. If these talented and capable young girls continue to be deprived of education, the consequences will be felt for generations to come.”

She added that the ban on girls’ education would harm the future of millions of Afghan girls, noting that if the ban continues until 2030, “more than four million girls will have been deprived of their right to education after primary school,” and the consequences will be “catastrophic.”

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Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Afghan girls have been banned from studying beyond primary school. This decision has not yet been reversed, although the Taliban initially described it as a temporary suspension.

Afghan women are also required to be accompanied by a male guardian when traveling long distances and are excluded from most government jobs.

The Taliban government remains unrecognized by the international community.

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