KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s ban on girls’ education has resulted in a 25% rise in child marriage and a 45% increase in childbearing in Afghanistan, according to the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a video shared by the US Embassy for Afghanistan on X, Joel Sandefur, USAID Mission Director, said the statistics indicate an alarming situation, highlighting the urgent need to protect the rights of Afghan girls.
“Beyond the harm to individual women and girls, early marriage and childbearing leads to serious social and economic harm to the entire society,” he said.
“Every child deserves the chance to learn, grow, and shape their future,” the USAID official said, adding that the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan worsened following the Taliban’s new virtue and vice law.
“Let’s unite to advocate for the rights of Afghan women and girls,” he emphasized.
Shortly after their return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban banned women and girls from attending school beyond sixth grade. Months later, the regime prohibited them from attending university and restricted their access to most jobs.
The Taliban’s recently enacted so-called morality law, which imposes even harsher restrictions on the personal freedoms of women and girls, has worsened the situation.
Meanwhile, the country, which was already grappling with poverty and a humanitarian crisis before the Taliban takeover, has become one of the world’s most severe crises, with over half of its population dependent on assistance to survive since the takeover.
Women and children are bearing the brunt of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan due to the harsh restrictions imposed on them. In September, UNICEF reported that more than 343,000 Afghan children had been admitted for acute malnutrition treatment since January 2024. The UN agency estimates that over 12 million children will need humanitarian assistance in the coming year.
Earlier, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported that some families in Afghanistan, facing extreme poverty, are marrying off their young daughters to support the rest of the family.
The UN agency highlighted that the humanitarian crisis, worsened by recent natural disasters like drought, has left many families with no choice but to marry off their children to save the rest.
