Afghan Girls Lost 3 Billion Learning Hours, Says UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that with a thousand days having passed since the closure of girls' schools above the sixth grade, Afghan girls have lost three billion hours of learning.

UNICEF has described the Taliban's ban on girls' education as a blatant violation of their right to education.

In a statement released on Thursday, it said that the systematic deprivation of girls from education leads to reduced opportunities and deteriorating mental health.

UNICEF emphasised that children's rights, especially those of girls, should not be "held hostage" to political issues.

According to the organisation, the consequences of the ban on girls' education extend beyond the girls themselves; it exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and has serious impacts on development and the economy.

According to UNICEF's report, the Taliban have deprived nearly one and a half million Afghan girls of education in the past 1,000 days.

The Taliban's decision to close girls' schools has faced widespread domestic and international condemnation, but the group remains unwilling to reverse this decision.