The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), on the occasion of International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Day, has called for the immediate lifting of the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan, saying that Afghan girls have been deprived of education for four and a half years.
UNAMA said education, particularly in the field of information and communication technology, is key to employment, innovation, and a sustainable future for Afghanistan.
On 18 September 2021, schools in Afghanistan were reopened only for boys, while girls were not allowed to continue their education beyond grade six.
The restriction was later extended to universities, training centers, and medical institutes.
International organizations and several countries have made engagement with the Taliban conditional on respect for human rights and have called for the removal of restrictions on women and girls.
The European Union recently sent its Special Representative for Afghanistan, Gilles Bertrand, to Kabul to hold talks with Taliban officials, members of civil society, and foreign diplomats.
In a statement, Bertrand said that in all of these meetings he particularly focused on the human rights situation, stressing that the ban on girls’ education beyond grade six is a “major barrier to the normalization of relations.”
