RASC News Agency: As Afghanistan enters a new academic year, an additional 400,000 girls have been denied access to education, raising the total number of girls prohibited from attending secondary and high school under Taliban rule to 2.2 million. In a statement released on Saturday, March 22, Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, warned that the continued ban on girls’ education poses a severe threat to the future of millions of Afghanistani girls and carries grave consequences for the country’s overall development. She cautioned that if these restrictions persist, by 2030, over 4 million girls will be barred from education beyond the primary level.
Russell underscored that the ban not only endangers the health and well-being of girls but also exacerbates forced marriages and severely weakens female representation in the healthcare sector. She emphasized that the critical shortage of female doctors and midwives is placing thousands of mothers and newborns at serious risk. According to UNICEF’s projections, the ongoing prohibition could result in 1,600 maternal deaths and over 3,500 infant fatalities. The organization reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to supporting Afghanistani children, particularly girls, despite the prevailing challenges.
UNICEF further reported that 445,000 children are currently enrolled in community-based education programs, with girls comprising 64% of participants. However, the agency described the overall situation as catastrophic and called for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of girls’ access to education. The international community has repeatedly urged the Taliban to lift educational restrictions on girls. However, the group has thus far refused to alter its policies, continuing to enforce one of the most severe gender-based education bans in modern history.
