EU special envoy Niklasson calls for reopening of schools for Afghan girls above grade six

Special envoy for European Union for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson called for the reopening of schools for Afghan girls above grade six and said that the education of women is essential for progress in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported.

Special envoy for European Union for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson called for the reopening of schools for Afghan girls above grade six and said that the education of women is essential for progress in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported. Taking to Twitter, Niklasson wrote, "Schools need to re-open, or open, across Afghanistan, offering girls of all ages access to quality education. The teachers, engineers, doctors, architects, civil servants and business leaders of tomorrow, building a more prosperous #Afghanistan, together with their brothers," as the special envoy voiced his concern on Afghan women's rights.

Meanwhile, Rina Amiri, the US special envoy for Afghanistan's human rights and women also condemned the situation of Afghan women in the war-torn nation and said that respecting the rights of all Afghans is vital in Afghanistan. "The Taliban should take note: there is no way to move forward & become a legitimate member of the international community without respecting the rights of all Afghans, particularly girls' right to education. It is the foundation for any progress in Afghanistan," said Rina Amiri in a tweet.

However, the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Zabiullah Mujahid refuted the claims of the deteriorating situation of Afghan women and said, "Efforts are continuing, officials are trying to find solutions according to Islamic law," TOLOnews reported. Notably, The Taliban were publicly criticized globally after closing Paktia girls' schools after a brief opening.

It sparked serious reactions inside and outside of Afghanistan. On Saturday, dozens of girls took to the streets in the centre of Paktia to protest the closing of their schools, reported Tolo News. The videos of the protests went viral on social media and triggered strong reactions from the Afghan public as well as famous politicians and human rights defenders.

Several human rights and education activists had urged world leaders in an open letter recently to mount diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to reopen secondary schools for girls in the war-torn country, according to TOLOnews. Moreover, in an earlier statement, HRW's Barr said the Taliban rollback of the rights of women and girls began immediately after they took power on August 15, 2021.

Since the Taliban seized power in Kabul last year, the human rights situation has been exacerbated by a nationwide economic, financial and humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. The Taliban dismantled the system to respond to gender-based violence, created new barriers to women accessing health care, blocked women's aid workers from doing their jobs, and attacked women's rights protesters.

With the US troops' withdrawal from the country, large-scale violence has been unleashed creating political uncertainty in different parts of the country. At least 59 per cent of the population is now in need of humanitarian assistance - an increase of 6 million people compared with the beginning of 2021, according to UNAMA. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)