Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, says five years have now passed since Afghan girls were barred from secondary education, describing the situation as “cruel and potentially a crime against humanity.”
Bennett said on Thursday, September 17, on his X account that an entire generation of Afghan girls has lost access to secondary education.
He said Afghanistan remains the only country where half of the population is denied access to secondary and higher education.
Bennett added that the situation has had far-reaching effects on girls, including their mental health, as well as on Afghanistan’s present and future.
He called for girls’ schools to be reopened with a comprehensive curriculum and stressed that efforts to uphold the fundamental human rights of Afghan girls must continue.
Richard Bennett said the Taliban banned Afghan girls from secondary education on September 17, 2021, and that 1,826 days have now passed since the restriction was imposed.
