Former British Prime Minister and United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown has urged the international community to take concrete action in support of Afghan girls’ education, including the creation of a global fund to assist girls at risk of forced marriage.
In an article published by The Guardian ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, Brown wrote that the Taliban have imposed successive restrictions on women and girls over the past five years, while the international community has yet to mount an effective response.
He pointed to the suppression of women’s protests, the continued exclusion of girls from education, restrictions on women’s employment and broader social limitations, arguing that Afghanistan is experiencing one of the world’s most restrictive environments for women’s rights.
Brown described education as the most effective tool for preventing child marriage, saying that each additional year of schooling significantly reduces the likelihood of girls being married at an early age. Referring to experiences in countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, he called for practical support programmes to expand educational opportunities for Afghan girls.
The former British prime minister proposed the establishment of a global education fund, bringing together governments, universities and charitable organizations to finance scholarships and educational opportunities, particularly for Afghan girls facing the risk of forced marriage.
Brown concluded that supporting Afghan girls is not only a political responsibility but also a moral obligation for the international community.
The Taliban have continued to defend their policies on women’s and girls’ education as internal matters, while the restrictions have drawn sustained criticism from the United Nations, human rights organizations and numerous governments worldwide.
