Sat Mar 22 06:05:25 UTC 2025: **UNICEF Condemns Afghanistan’s Ongoing Ban on Girls’ Education**
**Kabul, Afghanistan – March 22, 2025** – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a strong condemnation today of the Taliban’s continued ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan. The ban, in effect since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, prevents girls beyond the sixth grade from attending school, impacting an estimated 2.2 million girls. This new school year has begun without these girls in classrooms.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that the ban violates the rights of millions of Afghan girls and will have devastating long-term consequences. She warned that if the ban continues until 2030, over four million girls will be denied secondary and higher education, leading to catastrophic outcomes.
The agency highlighted the projected increase in maternal and infant mortality due to the lack of female healthcare professionals resulting from the ban. UNICEF estimates an additional 1,600 maternal deaths and over 3,500 infant deaths as a direct consequence.
The Taliban government maintains that Afghan women’s rights are protected, but their refusal to lift the ban has drawn international criticism. The ongoing situation has been condemned as gender apartheid by various international figures, including Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world with a complete ban on female secondary and higher education. UNICEF’s urgent appeal underscores the dire need for the Taliban to reverse this policy and allow all Afghan girls access to education.
First Piper 