Afghanistan
Women and girls demonstrate in Kabul for the reopening of secondary schools
In Kabul, around two dozen girls campaigned for schools to reopen
© Ahmad Sahel Arman / AFP
In Afghanistan, around two dozen demonstrators have demanded that secondary schools for girls be reopened. They had gathered in a square with posters.
“Open the schools!” and “Justice!” shouted the women and girls gathered in a square in the capital Kabul on Saturday. The protesters took to the streets to demand the reopening of secondary schools for girls. The protest broke up as Taliban fighters approached the rally.
“Education is our fundamental right, not a political project” read the protest poster of a demonstrator. “Even the Prophet (Mohammed) said that everyone has the right to education, but the Taliban have taken that right away from us,” said a young protester named Nawesa.
Afghanistan: Schoolgirls sent home on first day of school
The Taliban reversed this decision shortly after the official reopening of secondary schools for girls in Afghanistan on Wednesday. Thousands of schoolgirls were sent home after a few hours on their first day of classes since August.
The decision drew sharp criticism from Western countries and the EU. After the closure of secondary schools for girls, the USA canceled the talks with the Taliban planned for this weekend on the sidelines of the Doha forum.
Women’s right to education is one of the main conditions of the international community for aid to the unrecognized Taliban government. When the Islamists took power in August last year, they officially closed all schools because of the corona pandemic. Two months later, only boys and a few younger girls were allowed to resume classes.