Taliban’s Betrayal: The Stifling of Afghan Girls’ Education

As spring arrives, signaling the start of a new school year, Afghan families should be preparing for a season of learning and growth. However, this is the third year that the promise of education for Afghan girls has remained unfulfilled. The Taliban, who seized control of Afghanistan, have refused to reopen girls’ schools and universities, ignoring the demands of the Afghan people and enforcing policies that are not only un-Islamic but also anti-human rights.

For years, Afghan girls have fought for their right to education, facing threats, violence, and discrimination. Despite these challenges, they have shown remarkable courage and determination. With the collapse of the previous government, there was a glimmer of hope that the Taliban would respect the rights of all Afghan citizens, including the right to education for girls.

Unfortunately, this hope has been shattered. The Taliban’s refusal to reopen girls’ schools and universities is a severe setback to the progress made in Afghanistan. It is a clear violation of the fundamental right to education and a blatant disregard for the principles of Islam, which emphasizes the importance of knowledge and learning for all.

Education is not just a right; it is also a powerful tool for empowerment and development. When girls are educated, they contribute more to the economy and development. They also become active participants in their communities, advocating for positive change and contributing to peace and stability.

The Taliban’s refusal to reopen girls’ schools and universities is not just a betrayal of Afghan girls but also a detriment to Afghan society as a whole. It is a denial of the basic human rights of half the population and a rejection of the principles of Islam, which emphasizes the importance of education for all.

As we mark the beginning of a new school year in Afghanistan, let us stand in solidarity with the girls who are being denied their right to education. Let us condemn the Taliban’s un-Islamic and anti-human rights policies and call on them to honor their commitment to reopen girls’ schools and universities.

The future of Afghanistan depends on it.

Since assuming the charges of Afghanistan Mission to the UN, the Mission of Afghanistan to the UN said in a statement that Mr. Naseer Ahmad Faiq took charge as chargé d’affaires of the mission.

The Afghanistan mission said it continues to work closely with other member states to address the looming humanitarian crisis and to ensure human rights, including the rights of women and girls and minorities.

“The mobilization and facilitation of humanitarian assistance and effective aid delivery to groups and vulnerable situation who are suffering from starvation and food insecurity in the freezing winter season are among the most urgent priorities that require immediate attention,” it said.

Addressing an event on “Promoting Women’s and Girls’ Equal Social, Economic and Political Rights in Afghanistan” at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Faiq stated that the people of Afghanistan face multiple obstacles and because the Taliban failed to “establish an accountable, functional, responsible and inclusive system of government based on the will of people.”

He said the Taliban’s behavior has reversed all hard-gained achievements Afghanistan made in the past two decades in different areas, including in the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.

According to him, Afghan women and girls have been the prime victims of the Taliban’s policies, and they have systematically been erased from all social, economic, political, and security spheres.

“Today the people of Afghanistan face multiple humanitarian, economic, social, and political crises because of the Taliban’s failure to establish an accountable, functional, responsible, and inclusive system of government based on the will of people,” he said.

“These policies aimed at systematically erasing women from spheres of the society…these policies are against Islamic values and fundamental human rights law,” Faiq said.

Faiq warned that the continuation of the Taliban’s policies towards Afghan women will further deteriorate the socio-economic situation in Afghanistan and will hamper efforts by the people of Afghanistan for achieving self-reliance, sustainable development goals, and ultimately peace and prosperity.

Faiq stated that Afghan women’s call for justice must be “heard and supported.”

“The United Nations member states, the UN secretary General, donor countries, international institutions, and civil society organizations have shared and moral responsibility to support and stand by Afghan women through coherence, unity, and tangible actions,” he added.

Heather Ibrahim, President and Founder of Global Fund for Widows, who also attended the event, said widows in Afghanistan account for at least 50 percent of the female population. “We are working strongly to bring the rights of widows and their vulnerability to the forefront of the Security Council.”

Meanwhile, Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the UN Martin Gallagher, also stated that the Taliban must be held accountable for their behavior.

“The Taliban needs to be judged on what they do not do and not what they say and that is what we have always said and I think we are seeing what they are doing and it is certainly not what they said they are going to do and they need to be held accountable,” Gallagher said.

Rina Amiri, the US Special Representative for Afghan women and girls who also attended the meeting, emphasized the need to raise Afghan women’s voices.“Over and over again I have heard from Afghan women who said don’t speak on our behalf, let us speak for ourselves, let us speak to the Taliban ourselves, in every forum in which Afghanistan is being discussed, not just Afghan women’s rights but Afghanistan, there should be Afghan women at the table. This is the message that I have taken in every meeting I have had with the international community and with the Taliban and I think that is a message that we also should carry and this is something that we should advocate,” she said.