One thousand days have passed since the Taliban banned girls from secondary schools in Afghanistan, leaving over 1 million girls without access to education. The United Nations has condemned the ban as a violation of rights and an obstacle to the country's progress.
For the past 1,000 days, Afghan girls have been deprived of their fundamental right to education. The Taliban's ban on girls' secondary schooling has left over 1 million young women without access to essential knowledge and skills.
Taliban's 1,000-Day Ban on Girls' Education: A Violation of Rights and Obstacle to Legitimacy
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has condemned the ban as a blatant violation of girls' rights and a major obstacle to Afghanistan's progress. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has called on the Taliban authorities to immediately allow all children to resume learning, especially girls.
The Taliban has justified the ban on girls' education by citing their strict interpretation of Islamic law. However, experts argue that this interpretation is baseless and contradicts the principles of Islam, which emphasize the importance of education for all.
Taliban's 1,000-Day Ban on Girls' Education: A Violation of Rights and Obstacle to Legitimacy
Russell emphasized that "no country can move forward when half its population is left behind." The ban on girls' education not only hinders their individual growth but also has a negative impact on Afghanistan's social and economic development.
UNICEF has urged the international community to support Afghan girls by providing funding for education programs and advocating for the lifting of the ban. The agency estimates that over 600,000 children, two-thirds of them girls, are enrolled in community-based education classes run by UNICEF and its partners.
Russell condemned the Taliban's systematic exclusion of girls from education, calling it a violation of their human rights and a hindrance to their future opportunities. She also expressed concern about the deteriorating mental health of girls who are being deprived of education.
While Afghan boys still have access to education, Human Rights Watch has warned that the Taliban's educational policies are also having a negative impact on them. Qualified teachers, including women, have left the education system, and corporal punishment has increased.
In a further blow to women's rights, the Taliban have recently announced that they will cut the salaries of female civil servants who are barred from working. This decision has been condemned by the United Nations as a violation of women's rights and a deepening of the erosion of human rights in Afghanistan.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the Taliban to rescind all discriminatory laws and policies that violate women's and girls' rights. The international community must continue to pressure the Taliban to respect and uphold the human rights of all Afghans, including the right to education for all children.
