KABUL, Afghanistan — Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur for Afghanistan, said that girls and women remain barred from classrooms due to the Taliban’s “gender persecution.”
In a statement posted to X, Bennett urged the international community to hold the Taliban accountable and called for equal, accessible and high-quality education that fosters respect for human rights.
“As Afghanistan’s schools reopen, girls and women above Grade 6 remain barred from classes due to the Taliban’s gender persecution,” he wrote.
The ban, now entering its fourth consecutive year, continues to prevent hundreds of thousands of girls from attending school. The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that roughly 400,000 more girls have been excluded from the education system during the current academic year alone.
The Taliban’s policy has drawn criticism from across the globe, including from Islamic nations that have pressed the group to lift its restrictions on female education.
Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping limitations on women’s lives, including bans on higher education, employment in many sectors and access to public spaces.
