For more information about the interpretation of Sharia law in educational institutions, please refer to the chapter How is Sharia law interpreted and applied?
CEDAW, Banning women and girls from schools and workplace jeopardises entire country, UN committee condemns, 29 December 2022
" GENEVA (29 December 2022) – The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has strongly condemned the recent decisions by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to exclude women and girls from universities and ban them from working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), saying they are cruel violations of women and girls’ rights. They stressed that these policies would result in one of the world’s largest gender gaps and jeopardise the entire country for generations. The Committee issued the following statement:
“We condemn in the strongest terms the decision by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to exclude women and girls from universities. We also deplore the latest decree to ban women from working for NGOs. Since returning to power, the de facto authorities have shut down secondary schools for girls across the country, and it is estimated that more than one million girls have been barred from attending high school over the past year. With the latest ban on universities, the country is now excluding half of its population from normal schooling, creating one of the world’s biggest gender gaps. The order forbids women from working in NGOs, which will not only deprive them and their families of income but will also completely erase their only social life and deny them an opportunity to contribute to the country’s development. Their exclusion also means millions of women and girls could be left out of the humanitarian response, which is critically important to the country where about six million people are at risk of famine. These destructive policies will have harmful consequences for Afghanistan for generations to come.
These decisions must be reversed immediately, and women and girls of all ages in every part of Afghanistan should be allowed to return to their classrooms and workplace safely. We recall our 2020 recommendations to the country to ‘ensure that women and girls have the same level of access to secondary and higher education as men and boys’. The exclusion of women and girls from secondary schools and universities amounts to a direct violation of the country’s binding legal obligations to uphold the fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed in customary international law and human rights treaties to which it is a party, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. We call upon the de facto authorities to revoke these.
Over the past six weeks, this crucial lifeline has all but disappeared. Most of the shelters have closed their doors at decisions without delay in order to fully comply with the CEDAW Convention and other human rights treaties, with the view to restoring access to all levels of education for women and girls throughout the country. The full realisation of their right to education and the right to participate freely and safely in the development of Afghan society are interlinked. The Committee urges the de facto authorities to respect and protect the rights of women and girls to peaceful assembly in recent demonstrations triggered by the decisions to ban women from universities. The Committee also calls for the immediate release of the women reportedly arrested during these protests.””
UNSC, Security Council Press Statement on Afghanistan, 27 December 2022
“The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Ruchira Kamboj (India): The members of the Security Council are deeply alarmed by reports that the Taliban have suspended access to universities for women and girls, and reiterated their deep concern of the suspension of school beyond the sixth grade, and their call for the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan, and called on the Taliban to reopen schools and swiftly reverse these policies and practices, which represent an increasing erosion of the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The members of the Security Council are furthermore profoundly concerned by reports that the Taliban have banned female employees of non-governmental organizations and international organizations from going to work, which would have a significant and immediate impact for humanitarian operations in the country, including those of the United Nations, and the delivery of aid and health work, and that these restrictions contradict the commitments made by the Taliban to the Afghan people, as well as the expectations of the international community.”
Save the Children, 9 facts about Save the Children’s work in Afghanistan, 27 December 2022
“KABUL, 27 December 2022 – Save the Children has suspended its operations in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s announcement that women are banned from working for INGOs. We cannot and will not operate without the full participation of and guarantees of safety for our female front line and office-based staff. A Save the Children spokesperson said: “Female staff members are at the heart of Save the Children’s work in Afghanistan. They are our doctors, nurses, midwives, they are our counsellors, case workers and teachers, they are our finance, security and human resources experts. “Most importantly, our female staff members enable us to access women and children. Most women in Afghanistan are only allowed to see female health professionals and case workers, and girls can only be taught by female teachers. If female staff are removed from the NGO workforce in Afghanistan, we will no longer be able to provide life-saving services to millions of women and children. Without them, we simply cannot safely operate.
“The ban on female staff will have a direct impact on the life-saving assistance Save the Children provide and we are calling for an immediate reversal to this decision.” Save the Children is one of the largest INGOs in the country and has been operating in Afghanistan since 1976. Here are 9 facts about Save the Children’s work in Afghanistan: Number of staff in Afghanistan – 5,700 staff and community workers Number of women staff - 2,490 staff or community workers Number of people helped since Save the Children re-started operations in September 2021 following the Taliban takeover – 3.9 million people, including 1 million girls and 1.2 million women Number of provinces where Save the Children works– 17 out of 34 (both directly and through partners)¹ Number of children in need of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan – 14 million Number of children with severe acute malnutrition Save the Children is currently treating– 73,000 Number of women currently receiving care via Save the Children mobile clinics – 30,000 Number of community-based education classes run by Save the Children – 3,392 Number of households who have received cash assistance from Save the Children totalling 16.4 million USD – 130, 514 ENDS”
Afghan Red Crescent, Uruzgan (24 December 2022), 24 December 2022
“60 students have graduated from short-term education of ARCS educational center in Uruzgan province. The educational center for years providing free of cost short-term education to vulnerable children in English, Islamic studies, mathematics and computer subjects.”
Afghan Red Crescent, Nangarhar (22 December 2022) [EN/Dari/PS], 22 December 2022
“In continuation of dissemination sessions by ARCS, on 20th December, ARCS has arranged a dissemination session for 45 teachers and students in Sayd Jamal Uddin Afghan high school in Koz Kunar Khiwa district of Nangarhar province. In this session, the officer of dissemination department of ARCS has briefed the participants regarding history, fundamental principles & emblems of ARCS & movement & services of ARCS.”
UNOCHA, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths
Statement for the Security Council Briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan, 20 December 2022
“[…] 1.1 million teenage girls remain banned from school.”
Save the Children, New Analysis – Afghanistan tops list of 7 countries where children were most in need in 2022, 20 December 2022
“The number of children needing humanitarian assistance rose more than 20% this year to 149 million, with Afghanistan then the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) most severely impacted, according to a Save the Children analysis of the top seven emergencies impacting children in 2022. An analysis of a new Global Humanitarian Overview data from the UN found there was over 149 million children in need in 2022 compared to 123 million children the previous year. The increase of 26 million children can be attributed to new and protracted conflict, skyrocketing hunger, and the climate crisis. Afghanistan topped the list with an estimated 14 million children in need of aid in 2022, according to the analysis by Save the Children. This follows a year when conflict, the climate crisis, and economic devastation created a perfect storm of suffering for millions of children around the world. Afghanistan was closely followed by the DRC, which has an estimated 13.9 million children in need of humanitarian assistance. Despite having the largest overall numbers of people in need in 2022, the DRC’s humanitarian response has received less than half of the funding target set by the UN. Ethiopia, Yemen and Pakistan also featured on a list by Save the Children of the seven emergencies where the highest number of children were in critical need of essential services such as food, clean water, shelter and mental health and psychosocial support. Globally there are now more conflicts than at any time since the end of the World War Two and they all have a devastating impact on children’s lives.
During a conflict, children are far more likely to die from blast wounds than adults. Children living in areas of conflicts in countries such as Ethiopia, Afghanistan, DRC, and Yemen, are vulnerable to human rights abuses. In many places there continues to be a lack of accountability for violations against children, resulting in a climate of impunity. The climate crisis has led to natural disasters being more frequent and more severe. Climate related disasters have had an horrific impact on children this year, from extreme flooding in Pakistan, to droughts which have led to catastrophic food shortages in countries such as Ethiopia and the surrounding region. Climate related disasters have contributed to child hunger and malnutrition increasing globally, for the first time in decades.”
Afghan Red Crescent, Providing Public Awareness In Farah, Kunar, Khost & Jozjan Provinces By ARCS! [EN/Dari/PS], 18 December 2022
“ARCS has arranged various dissemination sessions to teachers, students & tribal elders in Qala-e-Zaman school & Gurg Abad village of Farah province, Narang high school of Narang district-Kunar province. Lakano high school-Khost province & in Aqcha district of Jozjan province. This session was attended by 130 people, where the officers of dissemination department of ARCS has briefed them regarding history, fundamental principles & emblems of ARCS & movement & services of ARCS.”
UNICEF, UNICEF Afghanistan Humanitarian Situation Report No.12 for 30 November 2022, 16 December 2022 “Despite the challenging education environment, UNICEF supported 522,524 children (57 per cent girls) with education opportunities through 14,981 community-based education (CBE) classes.”
Afghan Red Crescent, Kandahar (7 December 2022), 7 December 2022
“Providing education facilities to the young generation of society is considered one of the main objectives of ARCS, therefore 67 students have graduated and got their diplomas from the educational center of ARCS. In aforementioned educational center English, computer, and science subjects are taught to the students. It is worth mentioning that currently 110 female and 310 male students are studying in the above-mentioned educational center.”
ICRC, Afghanistan: disability in warzone - a constant fight for survival and dignity, 3 December 2022
Afghan's lives have been deeply impacted and transformed by over four decades of war. Some people lost a limb due to the conflict or accidents. They saw their mobility and independence reduced, faced the stigma of the society. What is it like to live with physical disabilities in a warzone? How is it possible to find a job when most of the people struggle to secure an income? What does it feel like to be discriminated by your peers, when already facing the consequences of decades of conflict, economic and humanitarian crises? We asked those questions to some of our colleagues at the occasion of the International day of people with disabilities.
They accepted to share their stories, to show that physical disabilities are not an absolute obstacle and to inspire others that are facing similar situations. […] Fazel, got infected by Poliomyelitis when he was only three. He faced his first challenges at school. "Children were not interested to play with me, and I was often labeled as "disabled" among my classmates, because I had trouble to walk", remembers Fazel. […] in 2000, due to economic challenges, Fazel's family was forced to leave Afghanistan and take refuge in Pakistan. To support his Father financially, Fazel started to sell water in bus stops along with his siblings, earning 50 – 60 PKR (0,3 USD) under 40-degree weather. As time passed by, his father, who never stopped trusting in his son, enrolled Fazel in a technical course to learn tailoring. "I never gave up and always found solutions to problems. After years of hardships in Pakistan, I finally returned home to continue my education." […] Weeda lost her right leg when a handcart full of construction material accidently fell on her. After a long journey through rehabilitation, she was fitted with an artificial limb by the ICRC, which helped her regain autonomy and mobility. Despite all her efforts and self-discipline, she faced some particularly difficult moments. "Because of my physical disability, my own family prevented me from continuing my education", explains Weeda. "When I turned seven, my family told me that I did not need to study. They said that someone whose leg has been amputated is not any good for society". […] In a celebratory gunfire in Kabul many years ago, Khalid got hit with a bullet in his neck while playing with his friends in the street, resulting in losing his lower body's mobility and becoming paralyzed. For him, seeing other children going to school and playing outside was very painful as he could not enjoy his childhood anymore. "My classmates were also coming to our home and were asking me why I was not going to school. I was very disappointed because I could not go with them anymore because of my physical condition." […] The physical rehabilitation of people with disabilities is just the first step in their reintegration into society. Recognizing this, the ICRC's physical rehabilitation programme also works to ensure that their rights and their access to education, employment, microcredit loans, vocational training and sports are protected. Between January and October, around 270 students (boys and girls) benefited from ICRC's homeschooling program and 416 were granted microcredit loans to start a business.”
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan –France condemns school attack in the strongest possible terms, 30 November 2022
“France condemns in the strongest possible terms the November 30th terrorist attack against a school in the city of Aybak, in Samangan province, which killed at least 20 students and children and left a dozen wounded. We offer our condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones and express our solidarity with those who were wounded. France reiterates the importance of a universal right to education, with special attention to defending the rights of Afghan girls and women, as well as the need to combat terrorism in all its forms.”
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Why the Afghan Government Collapsed, 15 November 2022
“In 2021, before the collapse of the Afghan government, we documented the significant gains women experienced in Afghanistan under the U.S.-supported government, including educational attainment, reduced maternal mortality, participation in the workforce and civil society, and occupying public office. However, unlike the more durable gains in literacy, many of the new roles for women in Afghan society have been reversed easily by the Taliban, who have imposed new restrictions on women’s ability to participate in public life. In March 2022, the Taliban declined to open schools for girls beyond the sixth grade, and in May 2022, they ordered women to cover themselves from head-to-toe while in public.”
UNICEF, Afghanistan Humanitarian Situation Report No. 11, 31 October 2022
“UNICEF supported 490,199 children (58 per cent girls) with education opportunities through more than 16,000 community-based education (CBE) classes, an increase from 299,430 children supported in September. Of these, 101,308 were new students who gained access to education through the establishment of new CBE classes in October. In the Southern Region, UNICEF supported the reopening of previously closed public schools, as well as improving existing public schools, reaching more than 123,000 new students. UNICEF supported distribution of classroom materials, teaching and learning materials, and textbooks to CBEs and public schools, benefitting a total of 1,299,844 students across the country, of which 809,645 were children in public schools. In October, UNICEF completed emergency cash support payments for 5,237 public school teachers (US$ 100 per month) and addressed outstanding grievances and supported payments for TVET teachers. UNICEF also supported the training of 4,127 teachers, of which 3,275 were CBE teachers and 852 were public school teachers. UNICEF continued monitoring the situation of secondary girls’ education through staff, technical extenders and partners, and found that despite restrictions, secondary schools remained open for girls in 12 provinces, with schools fully open in five provinces and partially open in seven provinces.”
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Afghanistan: Earthquake Response Situation Report No. 4, 31 October 2022
“Besides the earthquake, the affected areas have been historically underserved with around 30,000 school aged children in need of education. UNICEF has established 140 Community-Based Education (CBE) and assessed 17 schools and one Madrassa for renovation. The extreme lack of educational facilities in these areas even prior to the earthquake cannot be remedied by humanitarian action alone and requires longer-term and more sustainable interventions.”
AAN, The Daily Hustle: One young woman’s journey to an English course in Kabul, 15 October 2022
“For many Afghans the first year of Taleban rule was marked by uncertainty and anxiety over the country’s sudden change in fortunes. Virtually every area of daily life, from banking and shopping to travelling around the country to marriage celebrations has been affected. We wanted to find out from a variety of people how an aspect of their daily life had changed and how they were negotiating this changed landscape. In this first instalment of a new series, AAN guest author, Rama Mirzada, writes about what it has been like for her, a young woman, to overcome her fears, and the anxiety of her family, at her leaving the house to enrol in an English language course. […] We continue to arrive every morning on a campus segregated by gender. Although there are no male students in the building when female classes are in session – except for the instructors and university staff, who are mostly male – female students must leave the campus immediately after their classes end. Coaxed by the guards to make haste and vacate the premises, we make way for male students to enter the campus 30 minutes after our classes are dismissed. This doesn’t leave much time for us to get to know our classmates or have side conversations outside the classroom. But, for now, sharing space in a classroom where we can learn together is enough.”
AP, Death toll in last week’s Kabul school blast climbs to 52, 3 October 2022
“Last week’s suicide bombing at a Kabul education center killed as many as 52 people, more than twice the death toll acknowledged by Taliban officials, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press on Monday. Dozens more were wounded in Friday’s blast, making it one of the bloodiest attacks since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan more than a year ago. There was no claim of responsibility, but Islamic State group extremists have carried out a series of attacks against Taliban targets and ethnic minorities. The blast struck at a time when hundreds of teen-age students were taking practice exams at the Kaaj Higher Educational Center in the Afghan capital. The explosion blew the roof off the building. Taliban security officials initially said 19 people had been killed, then revised the death toll to 25 over the weekend. However, the AP spoke directly to relatives of 39 of those killed and obtained the names and other information about the remaining 13.”
ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan 10-16 September 2022, 22 September 2022
“[…] Meanwhile, students and teachers protested in response to the closure of girls’ schools in Paktia province last week. The schools had briefly opened despite the Taliban’s nationwide ban, before closing again due to the lack of formal permission from the Ministry of Education (Al Jazeera, 10 September 2022). Protests took place in Gardez city and Samkani district. Taliban officials dispersed both protests, arresting some demonstrating teachers and journalists covering the protests.”
ACLED, Regional Overview: South Asia and Afghanistan 10-16 September 2022, 22 September 2022
“[…] Meanwhile, students and teachers protested in response to the closure of girls’ schools in Paktia province last week. The schools had briefly opened despite the Taliban’s nationwide ban, before closing again due to the lack of formal permission from the Ministry of Education (Al Jazeera, 10 September 2022). Protests took place in Gardez city and Samkani district. Taliban officials dispersed both protests, arresting some demonstrating teachers and journalists covering the protests.”
Gandhara, UN Condemns Taliban Ban On High School For Girls As 'Tragic, Shameful,' 18 September 2022
“The United Nations has condemned a Taliban ban on high school for girls across Afghanistan, saying the policy put in place a year ago is "tragic and shameful." “The ongoing exclusion of girls from high school has no credible justification and has no parallel anywhere in the world,” Markus Potzel, the acting chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said in a statement on September 18.”
[…] "The severe rollback of the rights of women and girls, reprisals targeting opponents and critics, and a clampdown on freedom of expression by the Taliban amount to a descent towards authoritarianism," Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, told a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva.”