1,000 days of education lost for Afghan girls

“For 1.5 million girls, this systematic exclusion is not only a blatant violation of their right to education, but also results in dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health.

“The rights of children, especially girls, cannot be held hostage to politics. Their lives, futures, hopes and dreams are hanging in the balance.

“The impact of the ban goes beyond the girls themselves. It exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crisis and has serious ramifications for Afghanistan’s economy and development trajectory.

“Education doesn’t just provide opportunities. It protects girls from early marriage, malnutrition and other health problems, and bolsters their resilience to disasters like the floods, drought, and earthquakes that frequently plague Afghanistan.[1]

“My UNICEF colleagues are working hard to support all children in Afghanistan. Together with partners, we are keeping 2.7 million children in primary education, running community-based education classes for 600,000 children – two-thirds of them girls – training teachers, and doing everything we can to keep the educational infrastructure going.

“As we mark this grim milestone, I urge the de facto authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately. And I urge the international community to remain engaged and support these girls who need us more than ever. No country can move forward when half its population is left behind.”