Afghanistan, Aug. 15 -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is effectively closed to girls and women, with more than 2.6 million girls denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power five years ago.
UNICEF said on Saturday, August 15, 2026, in a report marking five years since the Taliban takeover that the prolonged restrictions on girls' education are putting an entire generation at greater risk of poverty, early marriage, child labor, violence and abuse.
Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director, said five years may be a relatively short period in a country's history, but it represents a decisive p...