UN Envoy Highlights Ongoing Exclusion of Afghan Women from Education, Work, & Governance

• Afghan women are still prohibited from government, schools, and workplaces despite four years of the current regime
• UN delegate Susan Ferguson said this is very dangerous
• She further stated that it pains not only women but the entire nation

Four years into the current Afghan government rule, women remain shut out of government seats as well as education and work rights, UN Special Representative for Women in Afghanistan said, according to Tolo News.

Susan Ferguson cautioned that this persistent situation not only decimates women but is also harmful to Afghanistan in general. She pointed out that women and girls remain excluded from secondary schools, universities, and the majority of employment, effectively eroding the future of a whole generation.

"The exclusion of women not only damages them individually, but also undermines families, communities, and the country," she said.

UN reports found that half of female staff members in civil society organizations were laid off this year as a result of decreased funding. Ferguson emphasized that Afghan girls and women are shouldering the greatest consequences of falling international aid.

She further noted that over one-third of these organizations worry that their capacity to serve women and girls will shortly be sharply curtailed or even discontinued if things continue as they are.

In spite of all these challenges, the UN reasserted its dedication towards backing organizations, companies, and women's involvement in global conversations to safeguard their rights.

Women rights activist Faryal Sayedzada spoke with Tolo News that denying Afghan girls the right to education will have dire long-term effects on the country.

She hoped that with the beginning of the new school year, the government would establish a mechanism to enable girls to continue their studies.

Women's education and work rights are also a point of contention, with human rights being the issue around which the international community and Afghanistan's interim administration have been at odds.

In the meantime, an Islamic Emirate official recently stated that efforts are being made to address the problem according to Sharia approval.