Human Rights Watch: Global Silence on Afghan Girls’ Education is Disappointing

Kokcha News Agency – Human Rights Watch has strongly criticized the Taliban’s ongoing ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade in Afghanistan, calling it “cruel and illegal.” The organization has also expressed deep disappointment with the global community’s failure to act decisively against this policy.

The group stated that by closing school doors to girls from the age of twelve, the Taliban has effectively destroyed the dreams and opportunities of millions of children, pushing the country’s future into a deeper cycle of poverty and inequality.

Sahar Fetrat, a researcher with Human Rights Watch’s Women’s Rights Division, emphasized that this ban has not only affected girls but has plunged the entire Afghan society into crisis, eliminating the possibility of building a healthier and more just society.

Human Rights Watch has called on governments to make the issue of Afghan girls’ educational deprivation a global priority. The organization urged the use of United Nations mechanisms and regional bodies to increase pressure on the Taliban and to support the resistance of teachers and underground schools. Additionally, the group has called for the recognition of the oppression of women and girls as “gender apartheid” and for it to be elevated to an international crime.