As the ban on education for women and girls persists in Afghanistan, a chorus of voices has risen, calling on UN Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioglu to place women and girls’ education at the forefront of his forthcoming report on the country.
For these girls, the prohibition of education has been an agonizing experience, shattering their aspirations for a brighter future. Azita, one of these girls, lamented that each day without access to schooling felt like a lost year without progress.
“We beseech the UN coordinator to shine a light on the plight of female students in his assessment and engage in dialogues with the Taliban, urging them to lift these restrictions,” Azita implored.
According to the girls who are denied the right to education, the United Nations and the international community should employ all means to compel the Taliban to remove this restriction.
Shiwa, a student from Farah, emphasized, “All Afghan women and girls have been unjustly barred from education, and our future remains uncertain. We implore the UN coordinator to spotlight the harrowing challenges faced by women and girls in his report.”
Mina Ahmadi, a student from Herat who yearns for educational opportunities, declared, “As a girl deprived of schooling, I fervently urge the removal of the education ban, and I earnestly request the UN coordinator to include this critical matter in his report, enabling us to return to our classrooms.”
Sinirlioglu is scheduled to present his comprehensive report to the United Nations next month, offering an independent evaluation of Afghanistan’s current situation and outlining an integrated approach to address the multifaceted challenges confronting the nation.
