According to NBC News, “nearly 3.7 million children don’t have access to formal education, and of that measure, 60 percent are girls denied access to education”. Most of those girls are banned from conventional education and find themselves restrained to house chores, surrounded by discrimination and forced to comply with child marriage.
For girls, and women in particular, education can be a source of empowerment. Traditional education for women in a region of the world that has oppressed females for decades serves as a voice and a platform to advocate their rights. It is critical to a developing country; it improves health, produces higher wages and economic growth, but more importantly it provides a space where girls get to experience their freedom.
Social isolation is not necessarily bad; in fact, most people look for solitude at least occasionally. Being alone can be relaxing and calming. However, when we refer to young women and teenagers who, psychologically, require interaction, that mentality changes. Living an isolated lifestyle for a prolonged period of time can have a severe impact on both physical and mental health. Lonely people have higher blood pressure, are more vulnerable to infection, and are also more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, high levels of anxiety, and even hallucinations. Most families worry about sending their daughters to school in the midst of shootouts on the streets, bombings, and kidnappings — not to mention targeted attacks against girls’ education. On top of that, they have to endure constant discrimination rooted in the complex perception of gender roles in their community. There have been many cases in Afghanistan wherein the females have been physically tortured. Beating them severely, cutting them brutally, burning them alive or throwing acid on them have been witnessed by many throughout the country apart from forcing them to marry at a very early age, selling and buying them for the purpose of prostitution or forced marriages. As a young woman, I could not imagine being banned from performing an effortless action, such as walking down the streets or going to school. Something that you don’t think about, but is a life or death situation for them.
On the other hand, girls who study at home do receive education on chores like cooking, cleaning and taking care of their children. Also, girls who are educated at home don’t have to stand the tormentous discrimination from the Taliban or the segregation they may encounter if they do go to school. Nevertheless, society expects you to go to school followed by college, get a job and settle down. Formal education helps you become a useful member of society and gives you a greater chance to contribute to your community. It opens a whole world of opportunities for the students so that they may have an equal shot at well-paying jobs.
It is necessary that the Afghan government and law enforcement agencies take serious notice of the discrimination and violence against women. However, at the same time, it is necessary to address the root causes of the problem. It is essential to bring about changes in the way women are perceived within our society. The government is responsible for providing its citizens with access to all of their human rights. Instead of teaching girls how to be a wife, a mom, or how to clean they should be teaching them how to survive. How to survive the reality they are being faced with. How to paint an environment where they no longer are victims, but heroes of their everlasting battle for equality. We as a community should take action to the awareness of accessible institutional education for anyone who desires equity. Social norms, poverty, persistent violence, and conflict are all factors that continue to keep Afghan girls out of school. It is our job as a society to set an example for Afghan girls in the elaboration of a system that is inclusive. A system that can contribute to all girls who will become leaders in the future, one that helps rebuild communities and contributes positively to society.
