New York, 13 June 2024 — “Today marks a sad and sobering anniversary: 1,000 days since the decision to ban girls from attending secondary schools in Afghanistan.
1,000 days out of school means three billion hours of lost learning.
This systematic exclusion of nearly 1.5 million girls is not only a blatant violation of their right to education, but it also diminishes their opportunities and negatively impacts their mental health.
Children’s rights, especially those of girls, should not remain hostage to political agendas. Their lives, futures, hopes, and dreams are all at stake.
The effects of the ban are not limited to girls alone. It exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crisis and has severe repercussions on Afghanistan’s economy and development trajectory.
Education does more than provide opportunities. It protects girls from early marriage, malnutrition, and other health issues, while also strengthening their resilience in the face of disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes that regularly affect Afghanistan.[1]
“My colleagues at UNICEF are working tirelessly to support all children in Afghanistan. In collaboration with our partners, we are keeping 2.7 million children in primary education, teaching around 600,000 children — two-thirds of whom are girls — in community learning centers, training teachers, and doing everything possible to maintain educational infrastructure.
“In reflecting on this somber anniversary, I urge the de facto authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately. I call on the international community to remain engaged and support these girls who need us now more than ever. No country can move forward when half its population is left behind and neglected.”
