Afghanistan, 14 August– Nearly 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
UNESCO said the number of girls excluded from secondary education has increased by around 200,000 this year alone. If the ban remains in place, the number could rise to nearly 4 million by 2030, warning that the consequences for Afghanistan’s society and economy could be long-lasting.
Hoda Jaberian, coordinator of UNESCO’s Education in Emergencies programme, said Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally prohibited from secondary and higher education.
“Five years is not a temporary interruption in a child’s education,” Jaberian said, noting that the period effectively represents almost an entire stage of secondary schooling.
The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. Although the group initially assured the international community that women would be allowed to continue their education, it banned girls from secondary schools in March 2022.
A ban on women attending universities followed in December 2022. Both measures were initially described as temporary, but neither has been reversed.
The Taliban says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture. However, restrictions on women extend beyond education, with significant limitations also imposed on employment and freedom of movement.
Women have also been barred from public parks, gyms and beauty salons in Afghanistan.
The United Nations has described the broader system of restrictions imposed on women and girls as “gender apartheid.”
Five years after returning to power, the Taliban administration has received formal recognition from only one country, Russia.
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