Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, says that returning migrants are eager to build their future in their own country, but one of their common concerns is the continuation of their daughters’ education beyond grade six.
Mr. Chaiban, who has recently returned from a visit to Afghanistan, said in a statement that in 2025 more than two million migrants, including half a million children, have been deported from Iran and Pakistan to Afghanistan. During his trip, he also visited the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat province.
He also traveled to Kunduz province, where students and teachers shared with him their concerns about the ban on girls’ education.
“In Afghanistan, education remains a critical issue—particularly for adolescent girls who are not allowed to attend school beyond grade six,” he said.
The UNICEF Deputy Executive Director stressed that this policy affects not only girls but all women in Afghanistan, depriving them of higher education, including university, and the right to work.
“Education for all children is at the heart of UNICEF’s mission,” Chaiban added, “and we strongly support the lifting of this ban so that girls of all ages can remain in school, receive a quality education, be able to work, and play a role in their community, for themselves, their families, and the future development of Afghanistan.”
He emphasized: “We stand ready to find solutions for continuing girls’ education and will keep exploring options with the authorities (the interim government).”
His remarks come as the de facto authorities have, since regaining control of Afghanistan, imposed sweeping restrictions on the basic rights and freedoms of women, barring them from education and employment.
These actions have left millions of school-aged girls unable to continue their studies.
In addition, women have been banned from going to gyms, restaurants, and public bathhouses, from being examined by male doctors, from traveling without a male guardian, and from working in national and international NGOs and even UN offices in Afghanistan.
