Afghanistan: Social media campaign calls out Taliban to open secondary schools for girls

Kabul [Afghanistan], November 10 : While the Taliban continues to deprive Afghan women and girls of basic rights, a social media campaign called "Let Afghan Girls Learn" is doing the rounds in the country to call out the Islamic outfit to immediately open the gates of secondary and high schools for girls, TOLO news reported.
The campaign, according to the host, Obaidullah Bahir is a non-political move to call out the Taliban to open secondary schools for girls so they can gain entrance for the upcoming Kankor exam which is a university-level entrance and the girls in Kabul can no more attend it due to closure of schools.
"This is a non-political campaign. The goal is to invite different guests for a week, both Afghans and foreigners, knowledgeable professors and any people who will discuss the opening of schools," TOLO news quoted the host of the campaign, Obaidullah Bahir as saying.
Describing the goal as to get the schools open for Afghan girls as soon as possible, the organizers of the event said the young girls and women have been compromising with their aspirations since the Taliban took control of the country.
According to some students, as girls' schools were shut down, they were unable to take the Kankor exam, leaving their future uncertain. These students petitioned the Islamic Emirate to create secondary schools for girls so they can get admission for the next Kankor exam since they said this year "thousands of girls were banned from taking the Kankor Exam."
Nazanin is a 12th-grade student and due to the closing of the schools for girls she could not participate in the Kankor exam.
"We just want the school to be opened, we are worried about our future, we want the schools to be opened so that we can study," said Nazanin, a student.
"The 11th grader who went to 12th is without a future, the 12th grader who is studying to prepare for Kankor is also unlucky," said Lima, another student as she described her plight, according to TOLO news.
Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and movement for women and girls.
The Taliban's decision to ban female students above grade six from going to school has drawn widespread criticism at the national and international levels. Further, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in August last year has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions.
As a result of this, women and girls in Afghanistan are facing a human rights crisis, deprived of the fundamental rights to non-discrimination, education, work, public participation, and health. Afghan women are staring at a bleak future due to a number of restrictions imposed by the Taliban governing aspects of their lives since taking over.
According to Human Rights Watch, women and girls are blocked from accessing health care as well. Reports suggest that women and girls facing violence have no escape route. Allowing girls into schools and other educational institutes has been one of the main demands of the international community.