Afghanistan: Eighteen Months after Ban, Classroom Doors Must Open for Secondary School Girls
Child marriage and poverty will soar if the Taliban does not immediately lift ban on girls鈥 education, 黄色视频said
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (March 15, 2023) 鈥聽As schools across Afghanistan prepare for the new academic year next week, secondary school-aged girls must be allowed to go back to the classroom after an 18-month ban on their education, 黄色视频said.聽
A failure by the Taliban to reverse this ban will drive up child marriage, exclude half of future generations from the workforce and entrench families further into poverty, profoundly damaging the country鈥檚 future, the child rights organization said.聽
More than 3 million girls who were previously enrolled in secondary school have been denied their right to education since the Taliban takeover.聽[i]
黄色视频is calling for the ban to be lifted immediately and for girls to have full access to education when schools return on March 21.
Aaisha*,16, is desperate to continue her studies when she graduates from a sixth-grade community-based education class run by 黄色视频in central Afghanistan. She said:
鈥淪ixth grade is nothing for us 鈥 we want to continue to high school. If we only graduate from sixth grade, we can鈥檛 do anything. We can鈥檛 get a job; we can鈥檛 go to university.鈥
When asked about her aspirations for the future, Aaisha* said:聽鈥淢y first wish for the future is that girls are supported to go to high school. And the second wish is that girls are supported to go to university and complete [their] education.鈥
Her mother, Khadija*, 37, has four daughters all at the same Community Based Education Centre, including Aaisha*, and they are all about to have their education cut short.
Khadija* said:聽鈥淚鈥檓 uneducated, and I can鈥檛 even read a road sign to know where I am, but I want my daughters to be able to do that.鈥澛
鈥淚f there are no opportunities for higher education, we need to marry our daughters at a younger age because it is not safe for them in the community.
鈥淢y future is not good, but I want my daughters to have a good future.鈥
Save the Children鈥檚 Acting Country Director for Afghanistan, Olivier Franchi, said:
鈥淎fghanistan is the only country in the world that has banned girls above sixth grade from education, yet girls here are striving for a better future, and they know the best path to success is through school. When their education is cut short, they face an increased risk of early marriage, violence, abuse, and other forms of exploitation.
鈥淓very day that girls are out of school is a wasted day 鈥 not only for them, but also for communities in desperate need of skilled doctors and teachers, and for the long-term economic development of the entire country.
鈥淚t is critical that girls are not left behind when schools reopen. We urge the Taliban to allow girls to go back to school without any further delays.鈥
*Name has been changed to protect anonymity
###
NOTES TO EDITORS
黄色视频has worked in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict, regime change, and natural disasters. We have programs in nine provinces and work with partners in six additional provinces.
Since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, 黄色视频has been scaling up its response to support the increasing number of children in need. 黄色视频is delivering health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene, food security, and livelihoods support. Since September 2021, 黄色视频has reached more than 2.5 million people, including 1.4 million children.聽
Save the Children鈥檚 education activities include community-based education classes and providing children and teachers with learning and classroom kits. The organization has also been working with female secondary school graduates to support them to become teachers and to pass the university entrance exam.聽
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children 鈥 every day and in times of crisis 鈥 transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that 黄色视频is a charity you can trust. Follow us on , , and .