UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has recently announced that over 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of their right to education in the past five years. The continuation of this ban has exposed them to greater risks, such as forced child marriage, exploitation, and gender-based violence.
In a published report, the organization has called on the interim government to lift educational restrictions against girls so that they can return to school and university and reach their full potential.
UNICEF has warned that the consequences of this ban are not limited to deprivation of education alone.
According to UNICEF, out-of-school girls are more vulnerable to forced labor, child marriage, abuse, and gender-based violence.
The report states that marriage before the age of 18 threatens girls’ physical and mental health and increases the risk of pregnancy complications during childbirth. Children of young mothers are also at higher risk of death before the age of five and stunting due to malnutrition.
The United Nations Children’s Fund added that educational and work restrictions in Afghanistan could have widespread economic and social repercussions.
The organization predicts that Afghanistan may lose 20,000 female teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030. It is also estimated that current restrictions could reduce the country’s economic output by $84 million annually.
UNICEF states that alongside efforts to reopen girls’ schools, it supports community-based education, vocational training, primary education, and digital education programs in Afghanistan.
Part of the report mentions that by 2025, UNICEF aims to provide educational materials and equipment to over four million children in public schools, community-based education programs, and emergency settings.
