Afghan children study in a class organized by UNICEF in Dand district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 9, 2022. In Kandahar, children and adults receive literacy education in local classes with the help of UNICEF and other partner organizations.(Photo: Xinhua)

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous on Wednesday called for the restoration of Afghan women’s right to higher education after the Taliban-run administration barred them from university.

The Taliban’s new order, announced Tuesday, effectively bans women from higher education, she said in a statement. “It is as short-sighted as it is appalling.”

Bahous called on the Taliban-run administration to immediately restore the full rights of women and girls, which include the right to education, as well as to work and to participate in public life.

Women have always played a key role in shaping Afghanistan’s development, and in supporting its peace, security and resilience, said Bahous, adding that to end women’s higher education is to ignore their historical contributions and sever them from their future potential and the potential of their country.

As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated, the denial of education violates the equal rights of women and girls and will have a devastating impact on Afghanistan’s future. It says the country to further economic hardship, suffering and international isolation, said Bahous.

Without education, a generation of Afghan women and girls will not have the skills they need to fully contribute to the development of their country. Without education, their pathways to participation and leadership are further constrained, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination and gender-based violence, she added.

On Tuesday, Guterres was alarmed by reports that the Afghan Taliban have banned women and girls from attending universities, said his spokesperson.

“The secretary-general is deeply alarmed by news reports that the Taliban have suspended access to universities to women and girls. The secretary-general reiterates that the denial of education not only violates the equal rights of women and girls, but will have a devastating impact on the country’s future,” said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement.

Guterres urges the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to ensure equal access to education at all levels for women and girls, said the statement.

Xinhua