Education is not a privilege but a Fundamental Right: UN
Written By: Tabasum Nasiry
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has warned that education is not a privilege but a fundamental right. It has raised concerns that, given the current situation, an estimated 110 million young girls and women, including those in Afghanistan, are at risk of not being able to attend school by the year 2030.
On Tuesday, January 9th, UNAMA revealed through the United Nations Women’s social media page that keeping girls out of school puts them at risk of violence and exploitation.
According to the organization’s statistics, if the current situation continues, over 340 million women and girls will continue to live in extreme poverty by 2030, with nearly one-fourth facing moderate to severe food insecurity.
This joint report by UN Women and UN DESA emphasizes that the world has failed to achieve gender equality and has moved further away from this goal. It is worth noting that Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are deprived of access to schools and universities.
Based on data published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1.1 million women and girls in Afghanistan are denied education. Eighty per cent of girls reach school age, but 2.5 million remain out of school, and 30 per cent of girls never enter Afghanistan’s education system.
Sara, one of the girls deprived of education, tells her story, expressing deep despair about the closed school doors for girls, and how this forced exclusion prevents her from pursuing her dreams. She says, “I suffer even more when I see my school books, and when I think I can’t read anymore, and even if I read, it won’t make any difference; it truly breaks my heart.”
The UN Women’s Report underscores that the gender gap in positions of power and leadership is deeply rooted, and with the current pace of progress, the next generation of women will still spend an average of 2.3 more hours per day than men on unpaid care and household work.
It is worth mentioning that the Taliban officials initially considered the limitations on girls’ education to be temporary, but after two years, there are still no detailed plans for reopening schools for girls.
Meanwhile, the continued denial of education for girls in Afghanistan has drawn international reactions from human rights activists, education advocates, the United Nations, students, and various countries around the world.
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