Afghan Girls Urge Guterres: Restore Our Right to Education

DID Press: Dozens of Afghan girls have written to António Guterres, calling on the international community to take meaningful action to end restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, particularly access to education.

In their letters, the students said that since the Taliban’s return to power, women and girls have been deprived of education, employment opportunities, and many fundamental rights.

One letter stated that girls in Afghanistan remain unable to attend schools and universities, adding that many young women have watched their hopes and futures fade amid continuing restrictions.

The writers urged the international community not to remain silent and called on the United Nations to place the rights and demands of Afghan women at the center of discussions and negotiations concerning Afghanistan.

Several of the letters also asked the international community to make any normalization of relations with the Taliban conditional on tangible improvements in human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls.

“We do not want to become victims of the international community’s silence,” one letter said.

The students concluded by urging the United Nations to take effective and practical measures to ensure the right to education and support the reopening of schools and universities for girls across Afghanistan.