Girls in Afghanistan have been banned from attending secondary schools for a thousand days, according to the U.N. children’s agency. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell urged Taliban authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately and called for international support for Afghan girls. The agency estimates that over 1 million girls are affected by the ban. The U.N. has warned that this restriction on girls’ education is hindering the Taliban’s recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.
The Taliban, which took over Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces in 2021, has enforced strict restrictions on girls’ education, citing their interpretation of Islamic law. Along with the ban on girls attending schools beyond the sixth grade, women have also been barred from higher education, public spaces, and most jobs. This exclusion goes against promises of a more moderate rule initially made by the Taliban. The group has been focusing on Islamic education over basic literacy and numeracy, emphasizing madrassas, or religious schools.
UNICEF’s executive director described the systematic exclusion of girls from education as a violation of their rights and a contributor to declining opportunities and mental health. The organization works with partners to provide community-based education classes for hundreds of thousands of children, with a focus on training teachers. Human Rights Watch has raised concerns about the impact of the Taliban’s educational policies on boys as well, pointing to decreasing access to qualified teachers and an increase in corporal punishment.
In addition to educational barriers, female civil servants in Afghanistan have faced salary cuts after being barred from working by the Taliban. The U.N. Human Rights Office has condemned this decision, calling it discriminatory and arbitrary. The High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged Afghan authorities to rescind all laws and measures that discriminate against women and girls, violating the country’s human rights obligations. The erosion of human rights in Afghanistan due to such decisions has been a cause for concern among international organizations and advocates.
The Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education have been a long-standing issue, dating back to their rule in the 1990s when girls were also banned from attending school. The current ban on girls attending secondary schools has put Afghanistan as the only country in the world with such restrictions. Despite global condemnation and calls for change, the Taliban has continued to enforce these policies, raising challenges for girls’ education and their future opportunities. The international community has been urged to support Afghan girls and push for the restoration of their right to education as an essential step towards progress and equality in Afghanistan.