The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed concern over the continued ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan, asking: “What does it mean to stay behind when girls are denied the opportunity to learn?”
Quoting a woman from Bamyan Province, OCHA wrote: “I fear my daughter will have no future.”
The agency stressed that education creates hope and opportunity, emphasizing that investing in girls’ education is an investment in Afghanistan’s future.
OCHA’s remarks come as the de facto authorities, following their takeover of Afghanistan, have continued to bar women and girls from secondary and higher education. In their latest restriction, they also closed medical institutes to women and girls, despite the country’s healthcare sector facing a severe shortage of personnel.
The policy has left millions of Afghan girls unable to attend school or pursue higher education.
In addition, women have been banned from attending sports clubs, restaurants, and public bathhouses, being treated by male doctors, traveling without a male guardian, and working for domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
According to reports, if the restrictions remain in place, nearly four million girls could be deprived of education by 2030.
