Three years after the Taliban banned secondary education for girls, Afghanistan faces a deepening crisis, Human Rights Watch said, adding that the ban, which has deprived millions of girls of their right to learn, is “a systematic attack on women’s rights” that threatens the country’s future by entrenching gender inequality and stifling progress.
Despite global outcry, the prohibition remains in place, with devastating long-term consequences.
“While the issue of Afghan girls’ secondary education has generated much discussion globally, governments and international institutions have yet to take meaningful action to reverse the Taliban’s ban,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement marking the anniversary.
The ban, which prevents girls from attending school beyond grade six, has had far-reaching consequences for Afghanistan’s future, according to the rights group. “The Taliban are systematically attacking women’s rights by depriving girls of a full education,” Human Rights Watch said, warning that the decision will result in lasting harm to the country’s education system and society as a whole.
The absence of girls in schools will lead to a severe shortage of female professionals, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, Human Rights Watch added. “This will further undermine women’s role in Afghan society and lead to an unequal, segregated, and impoverished society without women’s meaningful contributions,” the organization said, highlighting the broader societal, developmental, and economic consequences.
The rights group emphasized the critical importance of secondary education for Afghan girls, describing it as a pivotal time in their growth and learning. “The Taliban’s discriminatory ban is depriving at least 1.4 million girls of their right to education,” Human Rights Watch said, noting the psychological and emotional toll on Afghan girls whose hopes for a brighter future are being extinguished.
Human Rights Watch compared the current ban to the Taliban’s previous rule from 1996 to 2001, during which girls were similarly denied education. “The girls that missed school during those years mostly never fully recovered, and the girls missing school today will also face lifelong and intergenerational consequences,” the organization warned.
In its statement, Human Rights Watch called on the Taliban to “immediately end their crushing ban on girls’ secondary education” and urged the international community to step up efforts to pressure the regime. The group also urged donor countries to support grassroots initiatives that continue to provide education to Afghan girls, including online and underground schools run by women.
“The harm increases with each day the ban remains in place,” Human Rights Watch concluded, underscoring the urgency of action as Afghan girls face an increasingly uncertain future.
