Taliban Decision to Delay Girls’ Return to School ‘A Huge Blow’
Please see below statement from Senior Advocate for Women and Girls Devon Cone:
“Today’s announcement by the Taliban to delay reopening girls’ secondary schools, is a huge blow to the rights and well-being of Afghan girls.
The Taliban promised that Afghan girls of all ages would be able to return to the classroom today. Instead, this about-face shatters the hopes of Afghan women and girls. It also undermines the trust and confidence of the international community at a time when Afghanistan badly needs foreign assistance to address the country’s severe economic and humanitarian crisis.
Education is a human right and Afghan girls deserve the chance to learn. The Taliban reversal violates the human rights of an entire Afghan generation.”
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Sarah Sheffer at ssheffer@refugeesinternational.org or +1 202 540 7029.
PHOTO CAPTION: The Taliban ordered girls’ secondary schools in Afghanistan to shut on March 23 just hours after they reopened, an official confirmed, sparking confusion and heartbreak over the policy reversal by the hardline Islamist group. (Photo by Ahmad SAHEL ARMAN / AFP via Getty Images)