Activists call out world leaders during a United Nations summit in New York for not doing more for girls’ education in Afghanistan
TW: violence, abuse,
During the United Nations Transforming Education Summit in New York in September, activists like Malala Yousafzai and Somaya Faruqi implored world leaders to help girls in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have not allowed girls in grades seven through 12 to attend school.
Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for her activism for women’s education, criticized world leaders, on Sept. 19 said, “Most of you know what exactly needs to be done. You must not make small, stingy and short-term pledges, but commit to uphold the right to [a] complete education.”
Faruqi, captain of Afghanistan’s former national robotics team “Afghan Dreamers,” pleaded with leaders, “You are all here to propose solutions to transform education [for] all, but you must not forget those who [are] left behind, those who are not lucky enough to be at school at all. Show your solidarity with me and millions of Afghan girls.”
On Monday, March 21, the Taliban had announced that they would allow Afghan girls in grades seven through 12 to return to school for the start of the new school year. When these students came to school on March 23 for the first day of classes, they were not allowed to enter. The Taliban’s ambassador-designate to the UN, Suhail Shaheen, insisted to NPR that this was due to “a technical issue of deciding on [a] form of school uniform for girls.”
Since then, the Taliban has not allowed girls in secondary school to resume their education. Only girls in grades one through six and women in college have been allowed to return – though they are separated from their male classmates and are not allowed to have male teachers.
Not allowing young girls to attend secondary school goes against what the Taliban had pledged when they regained control of Afghanistan and its capital, Kabul, in August 2021. At that time, Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder of the Taliban and Afghanistan’s acting first deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said in an interview with NBC news, “Women will be given rights in accordance with Shariah [Islamic law].” Zabihullah Mujahid, Afghanistan’s deputy minister of information and culture, also told NBC news that the Taliban will allow women to continue their education and pursue careers. However, this has not been the case as girls in secondary school have not attended school since the Taliban took over.
Following the UN Transforming Education Summit, on Sept. 20, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken created the Alliance for Afghan Women’s Economic Resilience (AWER). The alliance’s goal is to provide Afghan women with numerous economic and mentoring opportunities in hopes of helping them overcome restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
This experience overall has severely impacted young girls, their motivation for their education and their dreams. Zayba, a teenage girl from Afghanistan, described the impacts of the Taliban to the New York Times; “I like to study at home. I am trying to, but I cannot, because I don’t see any future for myself with this regime … the day the Taliban took control, I was thinking: This is the end of life for women.”
The Taliban’s reluctance to allow girls into secondary school not only goes against their promises to Afghans and the world, but has real, long-lasting consequences. Thus, activists like Yousafzai and Faruqi will continue to put pressure on the Taliban and on world leaders, to do more to allow Afghan girls to regain their fundamental right to an education and pursue their dreams.