UNICEF urges Taliban to lift ban on girls’ education as new school year begins – JURIST
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Saturday called on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to immediately lift the ongoing ban on girls’ secondary education, warning that the restriction threatens the future of millions of Afghan girls who have been deprived of their right to learn since the Taliban regained power in August 2021.
In a statement marking the third anniversary of the ban, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell underscored that the Taliban’s continued restrictions on education will have dire consequences for the country’s economy, health system, and overall development. She stated: “As a new school year begins in Afghanistan, 400,000 more girls are now deprived of their right to education, bringing the total number to 2.2 million … If these bright young girls continue to be denied an education, the repercussions will last for generations.”
UNICEF urged the Taliban to reverse their decision and allow all girls to return to school immediately. The agency called on the international community to continue advocating for Afghan girls’ rights and to support initiatives ensuring that no child is left behind. Russell concluded: “The future of Afghanistan’s girls and the country as a whole depends on education.”
The Taliban initially promised to reopen secondary schools for girls but have repeatedly reneged on their commitments. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet previously described the restriction as “deeply damaging for Afghanistan,” stating that the systematic exclusion of girls from education exacerbates the country’s humanitarian crisis and weakens its economic future. In December 2024, reports emerged that the Taliban were considering a further ban on women studying in medical faculties, including nursing, midwifery, and gynecology. UNICEF warned that such a policy would immediately halt the medical education of thousands of women, jeopardizing women’s and children’s access to essential healthcare services.
Afghanistan remains one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with approximately 23.7 million people, including 12.3 million children, requiring humanitarian assistance. The country struggles with conflict, displacement, food insecurity, and climate-related disasters, and the Taliban’s takeover in 2021 further exacerbated Afghanistan’s economic instability.
UNICEF has worked to mitigate the effects of the education ban by providing alternative learning pathways. In 2023, UNICEF supported 686,000 children through 21,355 community-based education classes. The organization has distributed educational materials, textbooks, and high-performance tents. Furthermore, UNICEF is working to reopen schools that have been closed for years due to insecurity and lack of funding while also training and compensating teachers.
