Human Rights Watch: Countries and International Organizations Have Neglected Girls' Education in Afghanistan

In a statement released on Tuesday night (17 September), marking the third year of girls above the sixth grade being denied education in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the organization emphasized that the group’s exclusion of girls from education is causing long-term damage to the country’s educational system.

The statement from Human Rights Watch notes: "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."

The organization added that the Taliban's ban on girls' education will entrench "gender inequality" within Afghanistan's educational system and negatively impact various aspects of the lives of the country's people.

Human Rights Watch has warned that if the ban on girls' education continues, Afghanistan will face a severe shortage of doctors, nurses, female teachers, and educated women in the coming years. The organization has once again urged the Taliban to lift this ban.

This comes as the Taliban, since returning to power in Afghanistan, have prohibited girls above the sixth grade from education and barred female students from attending universities and private educational institutions. This restriction has deprived at least 1.4 million girls of their right to education.

Human rights activists and some international organizations have previously criticized the global community's policies towards the Taliban.