UN: Continued Ban on Girls' Education will Increase Child Marriage of Girls in Afghanistan by 25%

A report released by the agency on Saturday (May 25) predicts that if the ban continues, early childbearing among teenage girls will increase by 45% and maternal mortality by 50%.

According to the report, Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world where girls' education above the sixth grade is "banned as a policy" and women are barred from attending university.

The UN Women says the Taliban has issued more than 50 decrees against women since regaining control of Afghanistan, none of which have been repealed.

The organization says these restrictions and bans have had a devastating impact on the lives of Afghan women, with 82% of women describing their mental health as "bad".

The report states that Afghan women are calling on the international community to focus on the situation in the country and work to restore women's rights, including the right to education, work and participation in public decision-making. They also demand their continued presence at the international level and emphasize that the Taliban can in no way represent the women of Afghanistan.

According to the report, Afghan women are calling on the international community not to recognize the Taliban without lifting all restrictions on women. Recognition of the Taliban before tangible progress on women's rights is seen as the "worst-case scenario" for the lives and future of Afghan women.

It should be noted that since regaining power in Afghanistan, the Taliban has banned women from education and work and has imposed wide-ranging restrictions on their participation and presence in society. The Taliban's restrictions on women have been met with widespread global backlash, with UN experts calling them a "crime against humanity".