Afghanistan Girls’ Education Ban Fuels Surge in Child & Forced Marriages

Kabul, October 3 – The Taliban, in Afghanistan, has prohibited girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade since their return to power in Afghanistan. Human rights organizations have documented that this ban is not only denying Afghan girls their right to education but also increasing the prevalence of child marriage and forced marriage across the country.

A Mother’s Heartache: Three Daughters Taken

Zarghona, 42, a widowed mother of four, recalls the event that changed the course of her family’s life. Following the closure of schools for girls, her three minor daughters—once aspiring to be nurses and midwives—were all subjected to forced marriage.

“I enrolled them into a madrasa nearby, thinking that it could engage their minds,” said Zarghona. “Once I did that, it opened the door for recruiters and strangers to seek out my children.”

One day, an associate of the Taliban demanded her younger daughters be married into his family. When Zarghona refused, he threatened torturing her son. “If I didn’t give away my daughters, he would hurt my son.” Pressure led her to agree.

“The marriage was not a celebration, it was a funeral of their dreams,” she said.

Living with Fear and Abuse

Both daughters’ marriages entailed restrictions and intense abuse. Zar

Human Rights Crisis in Afghanistan

It is estimated that in the last four years since the Taliban took control, there have been over 5,000 forced marriages in Afghanistan. Girls who have been denied education are increasingly vulnerable to being sold into marriage, sometimes without their consent.

UNICEF and the World Bank reported that more than 1 million Afghan girls have lost their right to education in the last two years. Human rights organizations say the Taliban’s ban on education for girls is directly connected to increased domestic violence, increased poverty, increased suicides, and increased political isolation for Afghanistan.

Calling for Global Attention

Human rights advocates say that the ban on girls’ education is not only a violation of human rights, but is a catalyst for a national child marriage crisis. If intervention is not immediate, thousands of Afghan girls will be at risk of losing their futures to child marriages and lifetime abuse.