The United Nations Human Rights Office has said that inequality begins early in life for many girls. Factors such as poverty, war, violence and exclusion from education limit their opportunities in life.
In a report, the office said that 122 million girls worldwide are out of school and that 640 million women and girls were forced to marry as children.
It also stressed that one in eight girls and women has experienced rape or sexual violence before the age of 18.
The office said every girl has the right to equal opportunities in life, to receive an education, to make informed decisions about her body and to shape her future.
It added that quality education, access to scientific information and sexual and reproductive health services, and ensuring girls’ voices are heard in decisions affecting their lives are important for advancing equality and reducing gender-based violence.
Meanwhile, since taking power in Afghanistan, the interim government has barred women and girls from education. Most recently, it closed medical institutes to women and girls, even as the country’s health sector faces a shortage of staff.
The government’s actions have left millions of school-age girls without access to education.
Women have also been barred from going to sports clubs, restaurants and public baths; being examined by male doctors; travelling without a male guardian; and working for domestic and international non-governmental organisations or even at United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
According to reports, if the ban continues, nearly four million girls could be deprived of an education by 2030.
