HRW urges Taliban to stop undermining girls' right to education

Kabul [Afghstan], March 26 : In a recently released report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asked the Taliban regime to lift the prohibition on girls' education and reopen the schools and universities for women in Afghstan, reported Khaama Press.

According to the report, Afghstan is the only country that forbids girls from attending secondary school at the moment, and the ruling Taliban regime should cease undermining the future of girls, women, and the nation.

The orgsation expressed concern about how the Taliban's gender-based discrimination has harmed the prospects of women and girls in Afghstan as well as the world's complacent approach to dealing with the group.

Afghstan is now the only country that forbids girls from attending secondary school, thanks to the Taliban regime. They had pledged to uphold everyone's rights, especially those of women and girls.

Nevertheless, as the new academic year got underway, they sent teenage girls back home, according to Sahar Fetrat, an assistant researcher at HRW's women's rights division, according to Khaama Press.

In March 2022, the caretaker regime reopened secondary school for boys, but girls in grades seven through twelve were not permitted to enrol. Female employees of non-governmental aid orgsations were also subject to the bans when they were increased in December, which drew harsh criticism both within Afghstan and abroad.

Afghstan, which has the worst rate of illiteracy in the world, is facing a bleak future, according to an HRW assessment. "No country can conceive a happy future without educated girls and women," the report concluded.

The statement also emphasised how the Taliban expanded on their contempt for women by outlawing women's higher education last year. Hence, HRW urged the world leader to act swiftly, pragmatically, and mengfully to stop the Taliban's ongoing repression of Afghan women and girls.

Notably, the Taliban were publicly criticized globally after closing Paktia girls' schools after a brief opening.

It sparked serious reactions inside and outside of Afghstan. On Saturday, dozens of girls took to the streets in the centre of Paktia to protest the closing of their schools, reported Tolo News.

The videos of the protests went viral on social media and triggered strong reactions by the Afghan public as well as famous politicians and human rights defenders.

Several human rights and education activists had urged world leaders in an open letter recently to mount diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to reopen secondary schools for girls in the war-torn country as the Taliban's brutal regime in Afghstan will soon complete a year in August.

Young girls and women have been compromising with their aspirations as it has been almost 300 days since their development has been distorted, the activists said adding, that if this situation persists, their aims and hopes will suffer greatly, reported Khaama Press.

World leaders, regional allies, and international orgzations were urged in the letter to take serious actions to fulfil their commitments in order to promote and protect Afghan girls' rights, especially the right to education which was snatched away from them after the Taliban-led Afghan government banned the education for girls in classes 6 and above, Khaama Press reported.