International donors have also reduced support for development programs, citing the Taliban’s refusal to allow girls’ education. Aid analysts say this risks deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.
It has been four years since the Taliban barred Afghan girls from secondary education, leaving more than two million adolescent girls out of school and drawing renewed condemnation from the United Nations and international rights groups.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement this week that the continued exclusion of girls from classrooms was “a tragic violation of their fundamental rights.” She warned that the ban is denying an entire generation the opportunity to learn and jeopardizing Afghanistan’s future.
“Every day that girls remain shut out of secondary school is another day stolen from their future,” Russell said. “No society can prosper when half its population is denied education.”
According to UNICEF estimates, over two million Afghan girls will remain out of school by the end of this year. The agency urged the Taliban to lift restrictions immediately and stressed that education is central to the country’s economic stability, public health, and long-term recovery.
Local Impact
Afghan media reports say the restrictions are forcing many adolescent girls into early marriages or low-paid labour. Parents and teachers told the Afghan news platform, TOLOnews, that the lack of schooling is causing despair, with some girls suffering depression and anxiety.
An education activist in Kabul warned that the policy is robbing the country of urgently needed professionals. “This is depriving Afghanistan of doctors, engineers, and teachers it desperately needs,” he said.
Before the Taliban seized power in 2021, female enrollment had reached significant levels. By 2020, nearly 40 percent of Afghan students were girls. The United Nations and aid agencies now fear that decades of progress have been reversed.
Rights Groups Raise Alarm
In an earlier report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the ban as “an attack on the future of Afghanistan itself.” HRW said the exclusion of girls is driving rising rates of child marriage and worsening poverty.
“Afghanistan cannot rebuild or recover if half the population is denied the skills and knowledge to participate in society,” the group said. Researchers warned that the policy is fuelling a brain drain, as educated families seek to leave the country, further weakening institutions already under strain.
International donors have also reduced support for development programs, citing the Taliban’s refusal to allow girls’ education. Aid analysts say this risks deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Global Condemnation
Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are systematically barred from secondary and higher education. The ban has been widely condemned by governments, aid organizations, and Muslim scholars abroad who argue that Islam encourages education for both boys and girls.
Russell called on international partners to expand community-based education and remote learning programs, while reiterating that such alternatives are no substitute for a national education system. “Afghan girls deserve the same chance to learn and thrive as every child everywhere,” she said.
HRW urged governments to make girls’ education a central issue in any negotiations with the Taliban. “Countries should use every diplomatic, financial, and political lever to press for the reopening of schools,” the rights group said.
Personal Toll
For Afghan families, the loss is personal and immediate. A 15-year-old girl in Herat told local journalists that she once dreamed of becoming a doctor. “Now I sit at home, and my books gather dust. I feel I am disappearing,” she said.
Some families have turned to underground schools and private home classes, but these face constant risk of raids. Parents report living in fear of reprisals while trying to ensure their daughters continue learning.
Taliban Stance
Taliban officials have given no indication of lifting the ban. Leaders defend the restrictions as consistent with their interpretation of Islamic values and Afghan traditions, despite dissent from local clerics who argue that Islam obligates education for all.
Aid groups warn that if the situation persists, Afghanistan risks losing an entire generation of educated women. UNICEF is continuing to support community-based programs that currently reach nearly half a million girls in remote areas, but officials say this is only a temporary measure.
As the ban enters its fourth year, the United Nations and rights groups insist that global pressure must not ease. “Piecemeal solutions are not enough,” Russell said. “Every girl in Afghanistan has the right to a quality education, without discrimination.”
With no sign of change from the authorities, advocates say international engagement will be critical to prevent the normalization of what they call one of the gravest rights violations in the world today.
