The U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, reported that it has been a thousand days since girls in Afghanistan were banned from attending secondary schools. This has affected more than 1 million girls, and UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell urged the Taliban authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately. The U.N. has warned that the ban on girls’ education remains the Taliban’s biggest obstacle to gaining recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. Despite initial promises of moderate rule, the Taliban has also barred women from higher education, public spaces, and many jobs. They are prioritizing Islamic knowledge over basic literacy and numeracy, and only Afghanistan has such restrictions on female education.
In March, the new school year started in Afghanistan with girls barred from attending classes beyond the sixth grade and female journalists not allowed to attend the opening ceremony. UNICEF’s executive director called the systematic exclusion of girls a blatant violation of their right to education and resulting in dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health. UNICEF is working with partners to run community-based education classes for 600,000 children, two-thirds of them girls, and to train teachers. Human Rights Watch has also stated that the Taliban’s educational policies are harming boys, with qualified teachers leaving and an increase in corporal punishment.
The Taliban have also told female civil servants who are barred from working that their salaries will be cut to the lowest level regardless of their experience or qualifications. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on authorities to rescind all discriminatory laws, instructions, and measures against women and girls in clear violation of the country’s human rights obligations. The discriminatory and arbitrary decisions of the Taliban are deepening the erosion of human rights in Afghanistan. Despite condemnation from the U.N. and other human rights groups, nobody from the Taliban was available for comment on these matters.
Overall, the situation in Afghanistan remains dire for girls and women as the Taliban continues to enforce strict restrictions on education and workforce participation. The international community, including organizations like UNICEF and Human Rights Watch, is calling for immediate action to allow all children, regardless of gender, to access education. The Taliban’s actions have been criticized as a violation of human rights and are seen as hindering the country’s progress and development by leaving half of the population behind. It is essential for all parties involved to work towards ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all Afghan citizens, especially women and girls who are currently facing severe restrictions and discrimination.
