Seven years after the U.S.
“liberated” Afghanistan
from the brutal Taliban regime, many parents have decided to keep their daughters
at home instead of sending them to school. They feel, understandably and tragically, that education is not worth the risk of physical violence.
After acid was thrown on a group of girls walking to school
last month, school enrollments have declined sharply. In the province of Ghazni,
where the acid attack occurred, 50 schools have closed and 15,000 students—mainly
girls—have stopped going to school so far this year.
It’s heartbreaking that even though girls are now officially
allowed to attend school for the first time in more than a decade, the Taliban
and other militant groups remain so active that official policy is almost
meaningless.
Photo: AP
