[ad_1]
London [UK]Dec 21 (ANI): British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday criticized the Taliban’s decision to ban girls from university education, saying “denying them access to university is a serious step backward.”
“As a father of my daughters, I can’t imagine a world where they don’t have access to an education. Afghan women have so much to offer. Denying them access to university is a serious setback. The world is watching us. We will judge the Taliban for their actions, ’” Sunak tweeted.
On Tuesday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, which is ruled by the Taliban, banned girls from universities and other higher education institutions. This is because Afghanistan has banned girls from secondary education since September 2021.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over news reports after the Islamist group announced the ban. Denial of education violates the equal rights of women and girls and will have a devastating impact on the future of the country, he said.
Read also | The Guardian cyber attack: UK-based publishing firm hit with ransomware; staff asked to work from home.
The UN secretary-general also urged de facto authorities to ensure equal access to all levels of education for women and girls.
German Foreign Minister Annalene Berbock said today that the Taliban are determined to destroy the future of their own country by destroying the future of Afghan girls and women. She added that Germany would put the issue on the G7 agenda.
“I will be putting this on the agenda of the G7 tomorrow. The Taliban may try to make women invisible, but will not succeed – the whole world is watching,” Bell Bock tweeted.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 and have implemented policies that severely restrict basic rights, especially those of women and girls.
The Islamic group fired all women from leadership positions in the civil service and banned girls from secondary school in most provinces. Taliban edicts prohibit women from traveling without a male relative and require that women’s faces be covered in public – including female TV newscasters.
The deprivation of secondary education for Afghan girls has cost the country’s economy at least $500 million, or 2.5 percent of gross domestic product, over the past 12 months, according to a UNICEF report released in August.
The report added that if the 3 million girls were able to complete their education and enter the labor market, they would add at least $5.4 billion to the Afghan economy. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
[ad_2]
Source link