The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said in a new report that the continued ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan has deprived more than 2.6 million girls of their right to education over the past five years and has dealt a serious blow to their future.<\/p>\n
The agency said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are barred from education beyond sixth grade. According to UNICEF, the restriction has prevented millions of girls from returning to schools and universities and has also limited their opportunities to take part in society.<\/p>\n
UNICEF stressed that the ban is not limited to education and is part of a set of more than 100 decrees issued by the Taliban administration targeting the rights of girls and women. The report said these decrees, in addition to closing the door to secondary and higher education, have also restricted women’s and girls’ freedom of movement and access to public spaces.<\/p>\n
The agency warned that being denied education increases the risk of child labour, early marriage and gender-based violence for girls. According to UNICEF, marriage before the age of 18 can weaken girls’ economic situation and threaten their physical and mental health.<\/p>\n
The report said teenage pregnancy is more common among child brides and this raises the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. UNICEF added that the children of these mothers are also more exposed to under-five mortality and stunting caused by malnutrition.<\/p>\n
Daniel Timme, UNICEF’s communications officer in Afghanistan, described the situation as <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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