Afghan women barred from school plead with male classmates to stay home in solidarity : NPR
2 min read
[ad_1]
Afghan women’s rights activists plead with their male classmates to continue to be household as the Taliban reopen faculties and substantial educational institutions — for guys and boys only.
Copyright © 2023 NPR. All legal rights reserved. Check out our web site terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for even more facts.
NPR transcripts are made on a hurry deadline by an NPR contractor. This textual content may not be in its remaining kind and might be up to date or revised in the long term. Precision and availability might differ. The authoritative file of NPR’s programming is the audio report.
[ad_2]
Supply url Afghan women have recently taken to social media to urge their male classmates to join them in staying home from school as a show of solidarity against oppressive gender restrictions. Under current laws in Afghanistan, women are not allowed to pursue higher education beyond the age of 18.
The plea went out on a Facebook group organized by an Afghan high school student encouraging fellow female students to skip school and other activities to ‘take back our rights’. The young women are asking their male peers to do the same, in an attempt to draw attention to the systemic gender inequality that prevents Afghan women from obtaining the education, and career opportunities, they deserve.
According to the Campaign for Human Rights in Afghanistan, only 25% of Afghan children ever graduate from school; those who do are disproportionately male. The gender disparity is even more pronounced at higher levels of education.
Women in Afghanistan, including those attending school and those who have already completed their education, live under constant fear, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The fear of harassment, exploitation, and other forms of violence prevents women from leaving the house or participating in most public activities, let alone pursuing higher education.
Although the Facebook group has gained some momentum, the issue still does not receive the attention it deserves. Maryam Samimi, an Afghan immigrant living in the US, responded to the call for solidarity in a thread on Twitter: “You should be able to go to school if you want to” she wrote “but the fear of harassment and abuse keep many from attending and succeeding.”
It remains to be seen how much impact the plea from Afghan student’s can have in bringing more attention to this issue, and how much solidarity their male peers will provide. However, it is a testament to their courage that they are willing to speak out, and put themselves and their education at risk, in the pursuit of a greater cause.
