Bahous emphasized that the struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and urged global solidarity.
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), has raised concerns over the ongoing restrictions faced by women and girls in Afghanistan. Speaking out more than a thousand days after girls above the sixth grade were barred from education, Bahous highlighted the continued deprivation of rights, freedom, and voices of Afghan women.
In a poignant message on X, Bahous emphasized that the struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan is a shared responsibility and urged global solidarity.
“A stark reminder that the assault on the rights, freedoms, and voices of Afghan women and girls continues. We cannot abandon Afghan women and girls in their fight for their right to live lives of their own choosing. Their struggle is our collective responsibility,” she said.
Roya, a student, told TOLOnews: “I studied for nine and a half years, worked hard, and dreamed about my goals, but all of it has been wasted. We have been at home for a thousand days.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International also called on the Islamic Emirate to reopen schools for girls in Afghanistan. According to Amnesty International, Afghan girls have been deprived of the right to education due to “discriminatory and unjust policies.”
Amnesty International added: “For 1000 days, Afghan girls have been deprived of their right to education, locked out of their schools due to the discriminatory and unjust Taliban policies violating international law. The Taliban must immediately re-open all secondary schools to girls.”
Tafsir Siahposh, a women’s rights activist, says: “The Islamic Emirate makes promises to us every day, and we are always waiting for their next decree; but unfortunately, they have never wanted to act according to their promises.”
Although the Islamic Emirate has not recently commented on the reopening or non-reopening of schools for girls above the sixth grade, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Higher Education, amid a wave of reactions, published an audio recording of Mawlana Abdul Ali Deobandi about the education of girls and women.
In part of this recording, Mawlana Abdul Ali Deobandi, a religious scholar, said: “Islamic countries have established schools for women where they learn writing and lessons. Islamic countries have remained Islamic in name only. Islamic countries are influenced by infidels and cannot establish Islamic governments and enforce Quranic rules because they fear the infidels.”
The reactions to the ban on women’s and girls’ education in the country have resumed while a large number of human rights activists, organizations, and prominent individuals, including Richard Bennett, the UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Gordon Brown, the UN’s special for Global Education, Rina Amiri, the US special envoy for Afghanistan’s women, girls and human rights, have joined the campaign to raise the voices of Afghan girls.
A Thousand Days Without Education: UN Condemns Afghan Girls’ Plight
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock of the Taliban has announced that wheat production in Afghanistan has increased by 13% compared to last year, with around 4.9 million metric tons of wheat expected to be harvested nationwide.
On Thursday, June 13, the ministry published statistics showing that 6% more land was cultivated with wheat this year compared to the previous year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation emphasized that due to this year’s rainfall, wheat production in the country has seen a significant increase compared to the past two years.
The ministry’s statement also mentioned that devastating floods in several provinces have destroyed cultivated areas and wiped out wheat crops.
Moreover, the ministry has warned that despite the current wheat production, the country will face a shortfall of around 2 million metric tons of wheat in 2024.
According to the ministry, approximately 2.14 million hectares were projected to be under wheat cultivation in 2024, from which around 4.9 million metric tons of wheat are expected to be harvested nationwide.
This comes amid reports that drought and devastating floods in recent years have led to the destruction of thousands of hectares of agricultural land in the country.
On the other hand, according to the UN report, over 23 million people in Afghanistan are in need of aid this year due to the dire humanitarian crisis in the country.
However, providing this aid is not possible due to the shortage of funds and the lack of a transparent, responsive, and functioning government in Afghanistan.
Wheat production in Afghanistan increased by 13% compared to last year
On the eve of Eid al-Adha, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that 12 million Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from.
The organization added that Eid is a time for joy and celebration with friends and family, but for many Afghans, it is just “another hard day.”
On Friday, June 14, the WFP shared a video on the social media platform X, calling for assistance for those in need during the days of Eid.
The UN-affiliated organization stated: “As Eid al-Adha approaches, millions celebrate and gather with their families over food, while a quarter of Afghanistan’s population goes to bed hungry every day.”
The video released by the WFP also highlighted that 12 million people in Afghanistan do not know where their next meal will come from.
Recently, the UN humanitarian aid coordinator reported that 23.7 million people, including 9.2 million children in Afghanistan, require humanitarian assistance.
The World Food Programme has also requested $650 million to continue its operations in Afghanistan.
This comes amid the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan, which has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. Thousands of refugees are being sent back to Afghanistan, where they face dire conditions and lack basic necessities, adding to the burden on already stretched resources.
Deadly floods and Taliban restrictions on women working with aid organizations further compound the challenges.
The floods have destroyed homes and infrastructure, leaving many homeless and without access to clean water. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s restrictions on women working in aid organizations have severely limited the ability to provide essential services and support to the most vulnerable populations, including women and children.
WFP: 12 million Afghans face hunger before Eid al-Adha
The Malala Fund announced on Friday, June 14, a donation of $1.5 million to support girls’ education in Afghanistan.
This donation is allocated to 13 organizations working on Afghan girls’ education.
This financial aid is provided as Afghan girls have been barred from education under Taliban rule for 1,000 days.
The Malala Fund expressed concern about this situation and urged countries worldwide to take action against the education ban for girls in Afghanistan.
Malala Yousafzai, the founder of the fund, posted a video on social media stating: “Millions of Afghan women and girls live under a gender apartheid system, unable to attend school, work, or participate in public life.”
Malala noted that despite the dire conditions, Afghan women and girls resist by learning in secret and speaking out against the Taliban.
The Malala Fund has dedicated this donation to more than 10 organizations that offer educational programs for Afghan girls via satellite and online platforms.
The Taliban’s move to close girls’ schools has faced widespread global condemnation, yet the group remains unwilling to lift the ban after 1,000 days.
The Taliban’s oppressive policies have also barred women from their basic rights, including education and employment. Women are not allowed to work in most sectors, severely limiting their economic opportunities and independence.
In addition to banning education for girls, the Taliban has imposed strict regulations on women’s dress and movement, enforcing rules that confine women to their homes and limit their participation in public life. These measures have drawn criticism from human rights organizations worldwide.
Malala Fund announces $1.5 million to support girls’ education in Afghanistan
Just over three years ago, Asma’s* future contained many possibilities. Aged 15, she was at secondary school. After that lay the prospect of university and then onwards, striding forwards into the rest of her life.
Like many Afghan girls, she understood that education was her route out of the isolation and repression that had constricted the lives of her mother and grandmother under the previous Taliban regime. She was part of a new generation of Afghan women who had the chance to build independent and economically autonomous lives.
In May 2021, a few months before Taliban militants swept to power, Asma was in class when bombs began exploding outside her secondary school. She woke up in hospital to learn that 85 people, mostly other schoolgirls, had been killed. By the time she had started to recover, the Taliban were in charge and her chances of returning to school were over for good.
It is now past 1,000 days since the Taliban declared schools only for boys, and an estimated 1.2 million teenage girls such as Asma were in effect banned from secondary schools in Afghanistan.
What has happened to them since has been catastrophic: forced and early marriage, domestic violence, suicide, drug addiction and an eradication from all aspects of public life, with no end in sight.
“We’ve now reached 1,000 days, but there is no end date to the horror of what is happening to teenage girls in Afghanistan,” says Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch. “What the Taliban have done is not put the dreams of all these girls on hold, they have obliterated them.”
Without being able to go to school, Asma’s fate has been predictable. She has been forced into an early marriage to a man she didn’t know, exchanging the four walls of her father’s house for those of her new husband’s family.
She says she begged her parents not to force her into marriage. “When I told them about my studies and dreams, they laughed and said: ‘Since the Taliban has come, girls will never be allowed to study. It’s better to get on with your life and get married,’” says Asma. “[After the wedding], my husband’s family told me, ‘We bought you and paid for you, we didn’t get you for free. So you should be at home and working for us.’”
Now 18, Asma is pregnant. “When I discovered my baby is going to be a girl, the world became dark before my eyes because being a girl here in Afghanistan is not worth it,” she says. “She will never achieve any of her dreams. I wish I was having a boy.”
With diminishing status in society and no protection from the authorities, teenage girls, especially those forced into early marriage, are facing domestic violence inside the home and violence from the authorities outside, say human rights groups.
Benafasha* was 13 years old when the Taliban took power and her family decided that if she couldn’t go to school she had to get married. Her sister Qudsia* says that Benafasha was sent to live with her fiance who was instantly violent, brutally beating and abusing the now 16-year-old.
Qudsia says that Benafasha, desperate and afraid, went to the Taliban courts to ask to be allowed to separate. Instead, they sent her to prison.
“We had pictures demonstrating how he had beaten my sister, and text messages and voice recordings showing how he would insult and beat her,” says Qudsia.
The prospect of a life of social and intellectual isolation and domestic servitude is pushing many teenage girls to deep despair.
A United Nations survey last December found that 76% of women and girls who responded classed their mental health as “bad” or “very bad”, reporting insomnia, depression, anxiety, loss of appetite and headaches as a result of their trauma.
Almost one-fifth of girls and women also said they hadn’t met another woman outside their immediate family in the three preceding months. Another survey from the Afghan digital platform Bishnaw found that 8% of those who took part knew at least one woman or girl who had attempted to kill themselves since August 2021.
Marzia*, the mother of 15-year-old Arzo*, says her daughter has become increasingly withdrawn and depressed since she has been unable to go back to school. “She talks less and sleeps most of the time,” she says.
“I know the reason is the school closure, but there’s nothing we can do,” she says. “I always dreamed that my daughter would study and become a doctor so she could stand on her own feet.”
Barr says the Taliban have taken away “girl’s social networks, their friends, the outside world”. “They can’t go to school, or to national parks, or beauty salons or the gym or, increasingly, outside the house at all without fear of intimidation. They’re taking away everything that makes them human,” she says.
She says the international community cannot continue to ignore what is happening to teenage girls in Afghanistan.
“It is a threat to the rights of all women and girls around the world because if the Taliban can do this with impunity, then who will be next?”
Last month, a report by the UN special rappateur for Afghanistan assessed the dire situation facing girls and women in Afghanistan. “Many [girls now denied a secondary education] are driven to psychological distress, including suicidal thoughts and actions. Denial of access to equal education is causing transgenerational disempowerment that will increasingly ingrain the debased socioeconomic status of Afghan women and girls and their state-enforced dependence on men,” it said.
Fariah*, a mother of a 16-year-old in Kabul says that her daughter is refusing to give up hope that her life is not always going to be the way it has been for the last three years but that she is close to despair.
“It is a tragedy beyond I can express in words, not just for her, but for Afghanistan and for the world,” she says.
“My daughter is among the smartest of her generation, and I am not just saying this as her mother. I have seen first-hand her strong leadership skills, her ambitions and her determination to achieve them. Sometimes, my daughter tells me that she thinks that, by some miracle, school will be back on. I don’t want to crush her optimistic spirit and I tell her, ‘yes, that’s possible’, but deep down, I know it is a lie. I experienced this regime 25 years ago, and they haven’t changed. I don’t have any hope for our future. Nobody is coming to help us.”
* Names have been changed
‘Nobody is coming to help us’: Afghan teenage girls on life without school
The Ministry of Economy says the reason for the decline in Afghanistan’s GDP is the global economic restrictions imposed on Afghanistan.
According to a World Food Programme report, the decline of Afghanistan’s GDP was 20.7% in 2022, whereas this figure has dropped to 6.2% in 2023.
WFP said: “The economy of Afghanistan has experienced a significant contraction since the political changes in August 2021. However, the decline in real GDP has slowed, easing from 20.7% in 2022 to 6.2% in 2023, with sustained humanitarian assistance and support for basic needs.”
“I hope that this aid will be spent on work projects so that people achieve self-sufficiency,” said Khan Jan Alokozay, a member of the ACCI’s board of directors.
The Ministry of Economy says the reason for the decline in Afghanistan’s GDP is the global economic restrictions imposed on Afghanistan.
Abdul Rahman Habib, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy, said: “The imposition of banking restrictions, currency freeze, the cessation of the international community’s development aid, and climate changes have negatively impacted the country’s economic growth, affecting major economic indicators such as poverty, unemployment, trade, national revenue, and GDP.”
A number of economic analysts said that if the aid from various countries and international organizations is directed towards infrastructure projects, it will have a lasting impact on reducing poverty.
“If aid is provided within a framework that includes oversight, quality, and accountability, it can be more effective in reducing poverty,” said Shaker Yaqubi, an economic analyst.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has announced that it needs a budget of $510 million to assist the people of Afghanistan in the next six months.
WFPline in: Dec Real GDP of Afghanistan Has Slowed
The leader of the Islamic Emirate urged all citizens to “protect and serve” the Islamic system.
On the eve of Eid al-Adha, Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Islamic Emirate, said in an Eid message that the interim government seeks to establish political and economic relations with all countries within the framework of Islamic Sharia.
The leader of the Islamic Emirate urged all citizens to “protect and serve” the Islamic system.
In part of his message, he mentioned that since the Islamic Emirate came to power, the security and rights of all Afghan citizens have been ensured, Islamic Sharia is being implemented, and the country’s territories are secure.
Although Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada did not mention the reopening of schools and universities for girls, he added that necessary actions have been taken to expand religious schools.
This message, published by Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, called on the people to be grateful for the security and the Sharia system in Afghanistan.
The leader of the Islamic Emirate emphasized: “In our country, Islamic brotherhood and unity have been strengthened, and public assets such as mines, land, forests, and other properties are safeguarded as public wealth.”
In part of his message, he mentioned that unity in Afghanistan is ensured, and he also invited people to stand together in solidarity.
The leader of the Islamic Emirate said: “Let’s stand together with unity and sincerity to protect these achievements, stand by each other like brothers, thwart the enemy’s conspiracies, appreciate the security, prosperity, development, and the ruling Sharia system, and work for its further strengthening and consolidation.”
He also referred to the issue of Gaza and called on other countries to fulfill their responsibilities to prevent this great crime.
In Eid Message, Islamic Emirate Leader Stresses Sharia, Security, Unity
The US Department of Defense said that Washington is pursuing militants and senior commanders of ISIS-Khorasan in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, said: “Ongoing efforts to go after ISIS militants or ISIS senior leaders, of course that is something that we continue to work on in the region.”
Although the Islamic Emirate has not commented on the statements of this Pentagon official, it had previously said that the US is trying to create distrust between Afghanistan and regional countries by using the name of ISIS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said: “The Americans or American circles who make these statements are doing so in order to create misunderstanding and mistrust among regional countries.”
The day before, some American media outlets reported the arrest of eight people, six of whom are Tajikistan’s citizens, on suspicion of being linked to the ISIS group.
However, some experts call America’s concerns about ISIS activities in the region “theatrical.”
“They have always tried to disturb Afghanistan; they have their own statements, but we must assure regional and world countries that Afghanistan is no longer a threat to them,” said Emal Dostyar, a political analyst.
The caretaker government has always pledged that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against any country.
US Targeting ISIS-K in Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Area
At least 117.3 million people, or one in 69 individuals worldwide, remain forcibly displaced, including a significant number from Afghanistan, according to a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today.
Wars in Afghanistan during the 1980s doubled refugee numbers to 20 million by 1990. The 2001 US invasion further escalated the crisis, increasing global displacement, UNHCR global trend report said on Thursday, June 13.
Forced displacement has continued to increase in the first four months of 2024 and is expected to surpass 120 million by the end of April. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for international action to address the underlying causes of displacement.
According to the report, today, Afghanistan is one of the top five countries of origin for refugees, with 6.4 million Afghans forcibly displaced. This number reflects the ongoing instability and conflict in the region, which has persisted for decades.
Almost 70 percent of refugees live in countries neighboring their countries of origin. Iran and Pakistan, for instance, host nearly all Afghan refugees, with Iran accommodating 3.8 million and Pakistan 2 million Afghan refugees.
Germany hosts a significant number of Afghan refugees despite not bordering Afghanistan. At the end of the year, Germany had 255,100 Afghan refugees, highlighting its role in providing international protection to those fleeing conflict.
The continuous rise in forced displacement, particularly among Afghan refugees, underscores the need for global solidarity and comprehensive solutions. Addressing the root causes of displacement and providing adequate support to host countries are crucial steps toward mitigating this humanitarian crisis.
According to the latest UNHCR Global Trends report for 2024, almost three-quarters (72 percent) of all refugees come from just five countries: Afghanistan (6.4 million), Syria (6.4 million), Venezuela (6.1 million), Ukraine (6 million), and Palestine (6 million).
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, called for urgent international efforts to address the root causes of forced displacement, highlighting the immense suffering and human tragedies behind the staggering displacement numbers.
Of the 117.3 million forcibly displaced people, 68.3 million are internally displaced. In Gaza, ongoing conflict has displaced over 1.7 million people, accounting for 75 percent of its population.
Afghanistan among top five refugee-origin countries; 6.4 million displaced: UNHCR
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — The Taliban’s ban on educating girls over the age of 12 in Afghanistan reached 1,000 days Thursday amid global outrage and demands for the immediate resumption of children’s learning.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, denounced it as a “sad and sobering milestone” and noted that “1,000 days out-of-school amounts to 3 billion learning hours lost.”
The statement quoted Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, as warning the male-only Taliban government that no country can progress if half of its population is left behind.
“For 1.5 million girls, this systematic exclusion is not only a blatant violation of their right to education but also results in dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health,” Russell said.
“As we mark this grim milestone, I urge the de facto authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately,” she added.
Women banned from many public places
The fundamentalist Taliban have prohibited girls from attending school beyond sixth grade since retaking control of Afghanistan in August 2021. The ban was later extended to universities, blocking female students from finishing their advanced education.
Women also are not allowed to show their faces on television or visit public places such as parks, beauty parlors, or gyms, and they are barred from undertaking road trips unless accompanied by a male relative.
“Afghanistan will never fully recover from these 1,000 days,” said Heather Barr, women’s rights associate director at Human Rights Watch.
“The potential loss in this time — the artists, doctors, poets, and engineers who will never get to lend their country their skills — cannot be replaced,” said Barr. “Every additional day, more dreams die.”
UN officials calls for accountability
Meanwhile, in his latest report issued this week, the U.N. special rapporteur on Afghan human rights has called for the Taliban to be held accountable for their crimes against women and girls.
Richard Bennett alleged that de facto Afghan leaders have established and enforced “an institutionalized system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity and exclusion of women and girls.”
He will present and discuss the report at the U.N. Human Rights Council meeting scheduled for June 18.
The Taliban reject criticism of their government and policies, saying they are aligned with local culture and Islam. Their reclusive supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has denounced calls to reform his policies as interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
The impoverished country is reeling from years of war and repeated natural disasters. U.N. agencies estimate that more than half of the population in Afghanistan — 23.7 million people, including 9.2 million children — need relief assistance.
“Education doesn’t just provide opportunities. It protects girls from early marriage, malnutrition, and other health problems and bolsters their resilience to disasters like the floods, drought, and earthquakes that frequently plague Afghanistan,” UNICEF executive director Russell said.
Afghan girls endure 1,000 days without school under Taliban rule
Afghanistan Peace Campaign
