Foreign
By Kennedy Nnamani
NEW analysis by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has found that depriving girls in Afghanistan of their right to secondary education translated to a loss of at least US$500 million for Afghan economy in the last 12 months
In a statement issued yesterday, the organisation noted that keeping girls out of secondary school costs Afghanistan 2.5 percent of its annual Gross Domestic Product, GDP.
“If the current cohort of three million girls were able to complete their secondary education and participate in the job market, girls and women would contribute at least US$5.4 billion to Afghanistan’s economy,” the statement said.
UNICEF further noted that the “estimates do not take into account the non-financial impacts of denying girls access to education, such as upcoming shortages of female teachers, doctors and nurses, the ensuing impact on decreasing attendance for girls in primary school and increasing health costs related to adolescent pregnancy.”
In the statement, Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF Afghanistan Representative, noted that the decision on March 23, not to allow girls back to secondary school was shocking and deeply disappointing.
“Not only does it violate girls’ fundamental right to education, it exposes them to heightened anxiety, and greater risk of exploitation and abuse, including child trafficking, early and forced marriage,” Ayoya said.
Recalling the implication of the takeover of power by the Taliban on August 15 last year, which included over 4.2 million children out of school; 60 per cent of whom were girls, the analysis indicated that Afghanistan will be unable to regain the GDP lost during the transition and reach its true potential productivity without fulfilling girls’ rights to access and complete secondary school education.
Ayoya therefore added that “we will not stop advocating until that goal is achieved. Not only is education a right for every child, it is the foundation for future growth in Afghanistan.”
In addition to girls not being able to return to secondary schools, UNICEF is also struggling to reach adolescent girls with the vital services they need, such as anaemia prevention support and menstrual health and hygiene, which UNICEF used to provide at schools.
Meanwhile, analysis from UNICEF also revealed that child malnutrition is also increasing.
“In June 2021, 30,000 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition in Afghanistan; in June 2022, 57,000 children were admitted – a 90 per cent increase.
“Children are being obliged to work to support their families instead of going to school, which is the safest place they could be,” it said.
However, the organisation said that in the last 12 months, schools-based health and nutrition services have reached 272,386 adolescent girls with iron and folic acid supplements.
While affirming the complexity of Afghanistan, Ayoya further noted that “this is a pivotal juncture for a generation of children in Afghanistan.”
He added: “Girls’ rights are under attack; their childhoods are marred by deprivation. That is why, despite challenges in the operating environment, UNICEF is scaling up, delivering, and achieving results like never before.”
He therefore appreciated the Afghans saying that “we could not do what we do without your trust and support.”
To the donors, “we also thank our donors and partners for their generosity to date, but we urge them to continue their lifesaving support to children – especially with winter around the corner,” he added.
KN
Tags: Kennedy Nnamani Mohamed Ayoya UNICEF
