Education Is a Right, Not a Privilege

On the occasion of International Literacy Day, the Women’s Justice Movement reaffirms that education and access to knowledge are fundamental and non-negotiable human rights.

For nearly five years, girls and women in Afghanistan have faced systematic restrictions on their fundamental right to education. Millions of girls have been denied access to secondary and high school education, while women and girls have also been excluded from universities and numerous educational opportunities. These policies represent a grave form of systematic discrimination and a serious violation of the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls.

The Women’s Justice Movement emphasizes that denying education is not merely about closing the doors of schools and universities. It means depriving an entire generation of knowledge, awareness, independence, opportunities, and the ability to shape its own future. The consequences of these policies will extend far beyond women and girls and will profoundly affect the social, cultural, and economic future of Afghanistan.

We firmly affirm that education is a fundamental human right, and no government, group, or ideology has the right to take this right away from people.

The Taliban must immediately end the systematic exclusion of women and girls from education and ensure their immediate, safe, and non-discriminatory return to schools, universities, and all educational institutions. The right to education must never be used as a political bargaining tool or as an instrument of social control.

The Women’s Justice Movement calls on the international community, United Nations bodies, human rights organizations, educational institutions, and governments around the world not to remain silent in the face of the nearly five-year systematic exclusion of Afghan girls and women from education. Meaningful and effective action must be taken to uphold and protect their fundamental right to learn.

We stand with the millions of Afghan girls and women who, despite repression, discrimination, and exclusion, continue to demand their right to education, freedom, dignity, and an equal future.

There can be no just future for Afghanistan without the equal education and participation of women and girls.

Education is a right.
Knowledge is a right.
Freedom and equality are rights.

Women’s Justice Movement