MOSCOW – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) said today that the Taliban movement (under UN sanctions for terrorism), which is currently ruling in Afghanistan, has arrested a prominent activist fighting for girls’ rights to education.
“Matiullah Wesa, head of @PenPath1 (civil society) and advocate for girls’ education, was arrested in Kabul Monday. Unama calls on the de facto authorities to clarify his whereabouts, the reasons for his arrest and to ensure his access to legal representation and contact with family,” it said on Twitter.
After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, it ordered all local and international non-governmental organisations in the country to suspend the work of their female employees. Female education was suspended in private and state higher education institutions, and secondary education for girls has been prohibited.
The decision of the Afghan authorities has been harshly criticised by a number of international organisations and global leaders.
According to a Unicef report released last August, the fact that girls in Afghanistan are deprived of secondary education has cost the country’s economy at least US$500 million (RM2.2 billion) since the introduction of the ban, which is the equivalent of 2.5% of their gross domestic product.
If 3 million girls had been able to finish their education and enter the workforce, they would have added at least US$5.4 billion to Afghanistan’s economy, the report added. – Bernama, March 28, 2023
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