Photo : Lynzy Billing
“ We ’ re slowly making inroads –
a surge in the rates of child , early , and forced marriages .
Topping the list of human rights being targeted by the Taliban is access to education . An uneducated population serves the Taliban ’ s agenda . Uneducated women are less resistant to staying at home and remaining illiterate and subservient . Uneducated boys and men are fodder for recruitment . A girl with a book or a professional woman unafraid to speak out in protest undermines the Taliban ’ s power .
“ These draconian policies are depriving millions of women and girls of their right to lead safe , free , and fulfilling lives ,” said Agnes Callamard , Amnesty International ’ s secretary general . “ Taken together , these policies form a system of repression that discriminates against women and girls in almost every aspect of their lives . Every daily detail — whether they go to school , if and how they work , if and how they leave the house — is controlled and heavily restricted .”
Amnesty International reports that rates of child , early , and forced marriage in Afghanistan are surging under Taliban rule . Destitute families are being forced to marry off their daughters in exchange for a “ bride price .” In a country suffering from widespread hunger , where 90 % of the population now lives in poverty , one less child at home means one less mouth to feed .
But the people of Afghanistan are not giving up on their quest for an education . They know that providing an education to both boys and girls is not only their child ’ s best chance for a better life , it ’ s also the best hope for the future of their family and their country .
4 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE