dpa
Islamabad
The United Nations on Sunday called on the Taliban to let teenage girls return to the classroom, marking the anniversary of the closure of girls’ schools in Afghanistan following last year’s Taliban takeover.
In a statement, the UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan, Markus Potzel, called the exclusion of girls from high school "shameful and tragic,” adding that it has no justification and no parallel anywhere in the world.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have prevented girls beyond grade six from getting an education, prompting a national debate and disappointing millions of girls.
The ban increases the risk of marginalization, violence, exploitation and abuse against girls, the UN statement added.
The UN further said that enabling girls to return to school can lift Afghanistan up and give hope to its people. Meanwhile, the organization expressed concern that the continuation of such measures deepens the existing crisis in the country.
With the Taliban’s return to power, deadly attacks by Islamic State, coupled with poverty, unemployment, migration, and even natural disasters have weighed on the war-torn country. No country has recognized the group’s de facto government.
"The international community remains ready to support a government that is representative of all its people and respects their rights,” the UN statement concluded.