Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the denial of education to adolescent girls in Afghanistan for 4 years

NEW YORK, 17 September 2025 - “It has been four years since adolescent girls in Afghanistan were barred from attending school beyond grade 6. By the end of 2025, more than 2.2 million adolescent girls will have been excluded from education.

“With more than 2 million Afghans returned from neighboring countries this year, the number of girls unable to attend school will rise further.

“In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, which claimed the lives of 1,172 children, the critical role of educated and well-trained female health and social workers has never been clearer. These women are essential to humanitarian response efforts, particularly in a society where strict gender segregation limits the ability of male workers to respond to the needs of women and households. If these professions, and so many more, are to be sustained, girls must be educated.

“While millions of children around the world return to classrooms for the new academic year this month, Afghanistan’s girls are denied this fundamental right. It is one of the defining injustices of our time.

“This ban is a profound threat to the country’s long-term stability and progress. No nation can thrive when half its population is left behind. If Afghanistan is to move forward, it needs the full participation of men and women to drive a more resilient workforce, boost economic development, and meet the needs of a growing nation.

“Afghanistan’s girls are losing more than academic lessons; they are being deprived of social contact, personal growth, the chance to shape their futures and fulfill their potential.

“I am especially concerned about the millions of girls who are confined to their homes, and the impact of that isolation. My UNICEF colleagues are documenting increasing mental health issues, early marriage, and high birth rates. All of this is avoidable.

“UNICEF urgently calls on the de facto authorities to lift this devastating ban and allow every girl in Afghanistan to attend school—from primary to secondary and beyond.”