NEW YORK, Sep 17 (IPS) – Right now, we stand with solemn hearts because the world marks this week the three-year ban on ladies’ secondary training in Afghanistan.
Right now and day by day, we should get up for the tens of millions of Afghan women and girls dwelling below the yoke of gender-apartheid: systematized and institutionalized oppression, exclusion, and marginalization based mostly solely on their gender. Nonetheless, standing in solemnity for his or her struggling shouldn’t be sufficient. We should act to take away the oppression and injustice. In opposition to all odds, we should proceed to ship outcomes to offer the women entry to an training properly past grade sixth.
As a staunch champion for ladies’ human rights, not the least essentially the most foundational proper – their proper to an inclusive and continued high quality training – Education Cannot Wait and our strategic companions name out to the world via our #AfghanGirlsVoices advocacy marketing campaign. Collectively and collectively, we’ve got introduced collectively art work and calls to motion by world leaders, and conveyed the inspiring tales of hope, braveness and resilience straight from Afghan ladies and younger ladies refusing to succumb to oppression and refusing to surrender on their proper to an training.
The quotes from Afghan ladies are heart-breaking, poetic and passionate. Some resound with hope: “Each beat of my coronary heart resounds with a rhythm of hope, pushing me ahead in my quest of training regardless of all odds.” Others chart the abuse and concern that tens of millions of women face each day: “At simply 14 years previous, I grew to become a bride, after I ought to have been within the ninth-grade studying and taking part in with my pals. As a substitute of holding a pencil, I held the load of a wedding I by no means needed.” Others are defiant: “Within the face of adversity, my desires change into my armour, shielding me from doubt and empowering me to forge forward in the direction of information.”
Celebrities, world leaders and passionate influencers proceed to advertise the #AfghanGirlsVoices marketing campaign.
“The world should unite behind Afghan ladies. Denying their proper to training is a violation of the UN Constitution, Conference on the Rights of the Baby and fundamental human rights. By the #AfghanGirlsVoices marketing campaign, individuals all over the place can get up for human rights and gender-justice by sharing their phrases of braveness, hope and resilience,” stated The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, UN Particular Envoy for International Schooling and Chair of ECW’s Excessive-Degree Steering Group.
As Khaled Hosseini, best-selling writer of The Kite Runner, places it: “Right now, some three years after Afghan ladies have been banned from secondary training, 80% of school-aged Afghan ladies and lady are out of college. Many are compelled into undesirable marriage. It is a disaster, as a result of denying Afghan ladies entry to highschool not solely violates their human proper to training and jeopardizes their future, it jeopardizes the way forward for the homeland as properly.”
The pursuit of information is a key tenant of Islam, and a key part in delivering on our common guarantees of peace, equality and human rights. Schooling for all of Afghanistan’s daughters is crucial to rebuilding this long-suffering nation.
Right now, we ask world leaders all over the place to affix ECW and our world strategic companions in calling for an finish to the ban on training and to take motion. We name on you to fund the continuing training initiatives on the native stage defying this unlawful and irrational ban. Second, we name on you to resolve the disaster for the women of Afghanistan stemming from ignorance reasonably than enlightenment. Afghanistan deserves higher and it’s pressing.
Yasmine Sherif is Government Director of Schooling Can not Wait
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
