A return to the Middle Ages for Afghan girls

Five years have passed since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces under President Joe Biden's administration. Since then, the group has systematically restricted access to secondary education for girls and women, with over 2.4 million Afghan girls losing access to middle school and university education. UNESCO has warned that this exclusion could lead to long-term consequences for the country's future, including deepened poverty, lost potential, and a shrinking workforce. The situation worsened significantly in March 2022 when the Taliban officially barred girls from entering secondary schools. By December of the same year, they extended the ban to include universities. Despite initial assurances from the Taliban that girls would continue to receive education, these promises proved hollow. The restrictions remain in place today, making Afghanistan the only country in the world where girls and women are legally prohibited from attending secondary schools and universities. According to UNESCO, the impact of these policies extends beyond education. It estimates that by 2066, nearly 600,000 Afghan women could be excluded from the labor market due to lack of higher education. This would further increase the risk of early marriages and reduce the number of qualified teachers. UNESCO warns that by 2030, Afghanistan could face a shortage of more than 11,000 female teachers. Many girls who were previously enrolled in secondary schools have either left the system entirely or turned to private tutoring programs. However, these alternatives are limited in scope and resources. Meanwhile, UNESCO reports that over two million children in Afghanistan are not even attending primary school. The lack of access to basic education exacerbates existing challenges such as low literacy rates, which currently stand at just 37 percent nationwide. The educational infrastructure itself is deteriorating. Over 90 percent of students in Afghanistan struggle to read simple text, and many schools are overcrowded, poorly equipped, and lacking essential facilities such as clean water, sanitation, and heating. Nearly half of all schools have no access to these basic amenities. In addition, natural disasters, including earthquakes and floods, have caused the closure of over 1,000 schools since 2021, adding to the burden on an already strained system. The Taliban's policies extend beyond education into other aspects of daily life for women. Restrictions on employment and movement have become increasingly severe. While the group claims to respect women's rights according to its interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture, the practical effects of these policies have been devastating. Female teachers, once a vital part of the education system, are being forced out or prevented from teaching boys. Many have fled the country, while others have been restricted from continuing their work. As a result, male teachers, often untrained, now teach boys in many schools. The international community has expressed concern over the effectiveness of mechanisms designed to protect human rights in Afghanistan. Human rights organizations and local activists argue that these mechanisms fail when local authorities reject international norms and embrace isolation as part of their policy. Despite repeated calls from UNESCO and other bodies for the immediate restoration of girls' and women's right to education, little progress has been made. With the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power approaching, the crisis continues to deepen. The loss of millions of young girls from the education system represents a profound setback for Afghanistan's future. The international response has been largely symbolic, with few tangible actions taken to address the ongoing humanitarian and social crisis. As the situation unfolds, the focus remains on the urgent need to restore access to education for Afghan girls and women.