More than 80 girls were poisoned in two schools in Afghanistan, according to official sources, in a context where secondary and higher education for females is prohibited by the Taliban. Last Saturday, 56 primary school students, three teachers, one male teacher, two janitors, and a father were poisoned in a school in the province of Sar-e-Pul.

 

The following day, in the same region, another 26 students and four teachers were also poisoned. It is believed that unknown individuals sprayed poison in the classrooms.

 

This aggression adds to the numerous restrictions imposed by the Taliban since coming to power in August 2021. These restrictions include the mandatory veiling of faces, gender segregation, and the requirement for women to be accompanied by a male family member when traveling.

 

In December of the same year, women were banned from working in non-governmental organizations, a move strongly condemned by the international community due to the risk of worsening the humanitarian crisis in the country.

 

UNICEF has called for protection of Afghan women and urged the Taliban to investigate the incident and hold the perpetrators accountable. The organization emphasized that schools should be safe havens and that women should be able to work without endangering their lives.

 

Furthermore, various UN agencies and international organizations have strongly condemned the prohibition of secondary and higher education for women in Afghanistan, given the negative impact this has on humanitarian aid projects and the overall situation of the Afghan population.