Shafaqna English- On a day when the world celebrates ‘International Day of the Girl’ honoring hope, potential, and the dreams of girls, millions of Afghan girls remain trapped behind the tall walls of prohibition, merely watching a celebration they cannot join.
Here, dreaming is a crime, and learning is a sin. Under the Taliban’s misogynistic policies, not only have the doors of schools been closed, but the very window of hope has been sealed off from the minds and hearts of a new generation of girls.
According to Shafaqna Afghanistan, four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where girls are banned from education, a harsh reality that has pushed the mental health of millions of teenage girls into a silent, deadly crisis.
Today, as the world speaks of girls’ empowerment, the Afghan girl fights for survival in silence, surrounded by walls of fear, despair, and isolation.
A Bitter Reality: Afghanistan is the Only Country Banning Girls’ Education
Reports by UNESCO and the United Nations confirm that Afghanistan is now the only nation in the world where girls are prohibited from attending secondary schools and universities. Since 2021, around 1.5 million teenage girls have been denied access to education.
This deprivation extends far beyond the loss of learning for many, school was their only social connection, their path to self-confidence, and their source of hope for the future. With the closing of classrooms, their world has collapsed.
The Silent Crisis: The Impact on Mental Health
Studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) and community-based mental health programs (MHPSS) show alarming increases in depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and hopelessness among Afghan girls. Many describe feelings of “uselessness,” “loss of motivation,” and “fear of an uncertain future.”
A female teacher in Kabul, speaking anonymously, said: “Girls who were once top students now don’t leave their homes, they barely speak, and they cry through the nights.”
Source: Shafaqna Persian