Afghanistan faces female professional deficit

UNICEF has warned that Afghanistan faces a dual crisis due to the Taliban's ban on girls' secondary education and restrictions on women's employment. This policy, implemented in September 2021, has already denied over one million girls their right to learn and is projected to deprive more than two million girls of education beyond primary school by 2030. The country is expected to lose over 25,000 female teachers and healthcare workers by 2030, with female representation in the civil service already declining from 21% to 17.7% between 2023 and 2025. This situation is costing Afghanistan $84 million annually in lost economic output, weakening its economy, and severely impacting education and healthcare services, particularly for women and children. Katherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, has urged the Taliban authorities to lift the ban and called for continued international support for girls' education.