Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, has called for urgent action to support girls’ education in Afghanistan.
In a post published on her X account, the UN official wrote that more than half of primary school-age children remain out of formal education.
She further emphasized that 2.6 million girls are currently being denied access to education from Grade 7 onwards.
Referring to the situation of girls’ education in Afghanistan, Fleming warned that without immediate action, an entire generation will be left behind.
The UN Under-Secretary-General stated: “Afghanistan: More than half of primary school-age children remain out of formal education, with 2.6 million girls barred from education from Grade 7 onwards.”
It is worth noting that since taking control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have banned women and girls from accessing education. In their latest restriction, they also closed the doors of medical institutes to female students, despite the fact that Afghanistan’s healthcare sector is facing a shortage of medical personnel.
These restrictions have prevented millions of girls from continuing their education.
In addition, women have been banned from accessing sports clubs, restaurants, public bathhouses, receiving medical examinations from male doctors, travelling without a male guardian (mahram), and working for domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
According to reports, if these restrictions remain in place, nearly four million girls could be deprived of education by 2030.
