Taliban must allow girls to return to school immediately: AI

KABUL (Pajhwok): Girls in Afghanistan must be allowed to return to secondary school and continue their education, Amnesty International (AI) said on Friday as it published new testimonies from pupils and teachers documenting Taliban threats and violence.

While male students nationwide were allowed to return to secondary school on 17 September, the Taliban insisted that a “safe learning environment” was required before girls could return.

However, in more than 20 new interviews, students, teachers and school administrators told Amnesty International that intimidation and harassment by the Taliban are causing school attendance rates to remain low at all levels, particularly for girls.

“At present, girls in Afghanistan are effectively barred from returning to secondary school. Across the country, the rights and aspirations of an entire generation of girls are dismissed and crushed,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“The right to education is a fundamental human right, which the Taliban – as the de facto authorities running the country – are duty-bound to uphold. The policies currently pursued by the Taliban are discriminatory, unjust and violate international law.

“The Taliban should immediately re-open all secondary schools to girls, put a stop to all harassment, threats and attacks against teachers and students, and cease any military use of schools in Afghanistan.”

Amnesty International is also calling on the international community to ensure appropriate funding for Afghanistan’s education sector to enable schools to continue functioning, through organizations such as the UN or NGOs. Failure to do so could potentially deny millions of Afghan students the right to education.

To date – while some secondary schools have allowed girls to return, including in Kabul city and in provinces such as Kunduz, Balkh and Sar-e Pul – the vast majority of secondary schools across Afghanistan remain closed for girls.

Asma*, a 14-year-old student in Kabul, told Amnesty International: “Will I be able to go to school or not? This is my biggest concern. I want to learn everything, from the easiest to the hardest subjects. I want to be an astronaut, or an engineer or architect… This is my dream… Education is not a crime. If the Taliban announce that getting an education is a crime, then we will commit this crime. We will not give up.”

Mariam*, a 17-year-old student in Badakhshan, said: “When I first heard they would close high schools, I felt we were going backward instead of forward. We had so many hopes and dreams, and now they are gone. I want to study medicine and become a doctor. I was ready to take the entrance exam for university. I feel like I am paralyzed right now. I can’t think of the future.”

nh