RASC News Agency: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that Afghanistani girls have lost three billion hours of schooling since the Taliban imposed a ban on education for girls above the sixth grade 1,000 days ago. On Thursday, June 13, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described this milestone as a “tragic and troubling” turning point, emphasizing that children’s rights, especially those of girls, should not be held hostage to political agendas.
Russell not only condemned the Taliban’s systematic deprivation of education for 1.5 million girls as a blatant violation of their right to education but also highlighted the detrimental impact on their opportunities and mental well-being. According to Russell, this ban exacerbates not only the psychological distress of the affected girls but also intensifies the humanitarian crises in Afghanistan.
UNICEF’s statement underscored, “Education does more than create opportunities. It protects girls from early marriage, malnutrition, and other health issues.” Despite the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan, UNICEF, in collaboration with other aid organizations, has facilitated educational opportunities for three million children.
Russell stated, “Together with our partners, we are ensuring that 2.7 million children continue their primary education, establishing community-based education classes for 600,000 children, two-thirds of whom are girls, and doing everything we can to maintain educational infrastructure.”
UNICEF reiterated its call for the Taliban to reopen schools and universities to girls beyond the sixth grade in Afghanistan. It has been 1,000 days since the Taliban’s initial decree banning education for girls above the sixth grade, and nearly 600 days since universities were closed to female students.
