jlk – On a bright day, imagine yourself in a city in Afghanistan. The fresh morning air, the bright blue sky, and the sounds of cheerful children playing in the narrow streets.
But wait, something’s odd. Why do only boys seem to be playing and running around? Why are there no girls?
More than 330,000 girls in Afghanistan are prohibited from continuing their studies at the secondary level this year. They are a young generation full of enthusiasm, hope, and dreams, but unfortunately, their educational doors are tightly closed by the Taliban.
For three consecutive years, girls in Afghanistan have been banned from attending middle school. Imagine, three years without education, three years without teachers, three years without classmates. How do they feel? What about their future?
Zainab, 13, is one of those who will not be going to school in the new academic year this month. She is bright, accomplished, and has big dreams.
However, all of that came to a halt when the Taliban took power and banned girls from pursuing education after the 6th grade.
Yet, Zainab is not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of other girls who share the same fate. They are the lost generation, the generation forbidden to learn, the generation forbidden to dream.
The Taliban have prohibited women from attending secondary schools or universities since they seized control of Afghanistan in 2021. This decision has damaged the future of hundreds of thousands of girls and also the future of Afghanistan itself.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, through his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, described the Taliban’s move as extremely detrimental to girls and the future of Afghanistan.
“The failure of the authorities to reopen schools for girls, despite repeated commitments, is a deep and extremely damaging disappointment for Afghanistan,” Dujarric said.
However, despite the grim situation, there is still hope. There are many organizations and individuals fighting for the right to education for girls in Afghanistan. They believe that education is a fundamental human right and should not be denied to anyone, including girls.
So, let us stand with them. Let us fight for the rights of girls in Afghanistan. Because every child deserves an education, every child deserves to dream, and every child deserves to achieve their dreams.