KABUL, Afghanistan — The European Union delegation in Kabul marked World Science Day for Peace and Development by emphasizing the critical role of girls’ education in ensuring Afghanistan’s economic independence, well-being, and self-sufficiency.
In a statement on X, the EU called for “education for all,” stressing that access to learning should be free from discrimination and gender-based barriers. The union urged people to harness the “power of science” to foster peace and development.
This comes against the backdrop of severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban since their return to power in August 2021. The group has banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and placed strict limitations on women’s rights, including prohibiting them from higher education.
For nearly three years, Afghan girls above the sixth grade have been barred from schools, and universities remain off-limits to them under Taliban rule. These policies have drawn widespread condemnation both within Afghanistan and internationally, but the Taliban have shown no sign of reversing their stance.
The United Nations previously reported that the Taliban’s ban on education has contributed to a rise in forced child marriages and an increase in maternal mortality rates during childbirth.
Most recently, the Taliban enacted a new “Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” which restricts women’s visibility and voice in public spaces. Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s minister of the virtue and vice department, stated that even activities such as reciting the Quran, praying, and using prayer beads are prohibited for one adult woman in the presence of another.
These measures have added to the challenges faced by Afghan women and girls, deepening concerns over their rights and the country’s social and economic future.
