The United Nations says 1,607 days have passed since the Taliban banned girls from attending secondary school in Afghanistan, warning that the continued restriction threatens the country’s future.
In a message marking the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the exclusion of girls from education presents a troubling outlook for Afghanistan’s development.
UNAMA said in a statement that it was observing the day with deep sadness, noting that girls above the sixth grade have been unable to attend school for more than four years.
The mission said that it is more than four years of deprivation and lost opportunities that paint a painful picture of Afghanistan’s future , a future in which women and girls are absent from science and other vital fields.
The UN mission again called on the Taliban authorities to lift the ban on girls’ education, adding that millions of Afghan girls remain waiting to return to school.
Earlier this year, the United Nations reported that 2.2 million adolescent girls in Afghanistan are currently out of secondary school, warning that the prolonged restriction could seriously undermine both the future of girls and Afghanistan’s long-term development and stability.
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has warned that if restrictions continue until 2030, the number of girls deprived of education in Afghanistan could rise to more than four million.
The continued closure of girls’ schools has drawn widespread international criticism. Prominent public figures, political leaders and international organisations including Amnesty International and UNICEF have repeatedly called for the reopening of schools to girls.
Taliban officials, however, have consistently described the education ban as an internal matter, saying their policies are based on their interpretation of Islamic law.
