KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, says the Taliban’s ban on education has led to a “dramatic” rise in self-harm, including suicide and suicidal ideation, among Afghan girls.
In his recent interview with Education Cannot Wait, Bennett said that the Taliban’s ban on education for girls beyond sixth grade has a devastating impact on both Afghan girls and Afghan society as a whole.
“They see their future lives and opportunities having been narrowed almost entirely to the domestic sphere, and this, combined with the prospect of early or forced marriage, has driven thousands of them into depression,” he said, adding that self-harm, including suicide and suicidal thoughts, has drastically increased among them.
The long-term consequences of the ban, Bennett said, include deepening poverty and gender inequality, an increase in gender-based violence and child marriage, as well as more child labor and other forms of exploitation.
“Education is a fundamental right and also provides crucial protection. Society as a whole suffers almost irreparably when half the population is systematically excluded from life opportunities, he added.
Since retaking Afghanistan three years ago, the Taliban have continued to expand their repressive policies, persecuting vulnerable groups, particularly women. In 2022, they banned girls’ education beyond sixth grade and later extended the ban to most forms of work, including for government entities, international organizations, and UN agencies.
Recently, the fundamentalist regime prohibited women and girls from pursuing medical education, including nursing and midwifery, depriving at least 38,000 women and girls of access to medical education across the country.
The UN Special Rapporteur said that the Taliban’s restrictions on the rights of women and girls – whether related to education, healthcare, freedom of movement, access to justice, or the right to work – are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.
“Cumulatively, these deprivations are so severe and extensive, I have concluded that they may amount to crimes against humanity, in particular the crime of gender persecution,” Bennett said, adding that the situation is not only unacceptable – it is unconscionable.
“Together, we can create pathways to hope and opportunity, even in the face of adversity. The message is clear: we cannot allow the dreams and potential of millions of Afghan girls to be extinguished.,” he concluded.
“The time to act is now, and every effort counts.”
