Afghan Girls Risking Lives When Going to School
- 12 years ago
Afghan School Girls Risking Lives - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
Young girls in Afghanistan are risking their lives to get an education. According to a statistic generated by the United Nations, at least 185 violent attacks on hospitals and schools occurred last year. Groups that are against females getting an education are responsible for most of these attacks.
In Afghanistan’s patriarchal culture, it is difficult for women to go to school because of discrimination and threats of violence. They are threatened by stories of girls getting acid thrown on their faces, or being poisoned by people who think it is wrong for them to seek an education.
But despite the dangers, more and more children in Afghanistan are going to school.
"Basically, you didn't have girls educated in 2001. And now we have 3 million girls in school,” said Christine Roehrs, spokeswoman for Save the Children in Afghanistan.
Another challenge that faces the young girl’s education is that there are not enough female teachers. In Afghan culture it is unacceptable for girls to be taught by a man, and the number of female teachers is drastically low, especially in rural areas.
Young girls in Afghanistan are risking their lives to get an education. According to a statistic generated by the United Nations, at least 185 violent attacks on hospitals and schools occurred last year. Groups that are against females getting an education are responsible for most of these attacks.
In Afghanistan’s patriarchal culture, it is difficult for women to go to school because of discrimination and threats of violence. They are threatened by stories of girls getting acid thrown on their faces, or being poisoned by people who think it is wrong for them to seek an education.
But despite the dangers, more and more children in Afghanistan are going to school.
"Basically, you didn't have girls educated in 2001. And now we have 3 million girls in school,” said Christine Roehrs, spokeswoman for Save the Children in Afghanistan.
Another challenge that faces the young girl’s education is that there are not enough female teachers. In Afghan culture it is unacceptable for girls to be taught by a man, and the number of female teachers is drastically low, especially in rural areas.