Afghanistan Peace Campaign
UNICEF warned that restrictions on girls’ education in Afghanistan are fueling rising mental health problems and early marriages, urging authorities to lift the ban immediately.
Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s Executive Director, has raised alarm over worsening mental health challenges and rising early marriages among Afghan girls barred from education for nearly four years.
In a statement on Wednesday, September 17, UNICEF said millions of girls remain affected by the Taliban’s restrictions. By the end of 2025, more than 2.2 million adolescent girls will be excluded from schooling.
Russell noted that the return of over 2 million Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan this year has further increased the number of girls unable to attend school.
She warned that Afghan girls are being deprived not only of academic lessons but also of social interaction, personal growth, and opportunities to shape their future.
“While millions of children worldwide return to classrooms for the new academic year, Afghan girls are denied this basic right,” Russell said, calling it one of the defining injustices of our time.
UNICEF emphasized that the ban threatens Afghanistan’s long-term stability and progress, as no country can prosper when half its population is excluded from contributing to the workforce and national development.
The agency also highlighted the aftermath of Afghanistan’s devastating earthquake, which killed more than 1,100 children, as evidence of the critical need for trained female health and social workers in a segregated society.
UNICEF said many girls confined to their homes are increasingly facing mental health problems, child marriage, and early pregnancies — all consequences that are entirely preventable.
The organization urged Taliban administration to lift restrictions without delay and guarantee every girl access to education at all levels, from primary school to higher education.