Two senior United Nations officials criticized a terrorist attack designed to target girls and their family members outside a high school in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, in the strongest manner possible on Wednesday.

Terrorists who detonated a bomb near a girls' school in Dasht-e-Barchi, a predominantly Shiite district of west Kabul, "should be held responsible" for their "horrendous crime," said the UN Special Representatives for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, and Violence Against Children, Najat Maalla M'jid, in a joint declaration.

As per the news reports, the total number of people killed were mostly students aged 11 to 15. Hundreds or more have been injured.

Safeguard girl’s education

The UN officials also urged Afghan authorities to safeguard the right to education in times of armed conflict, particularly for girls, which is often ignored and disregarded.

“In many contexts, access to quality education is particularly difficult for girls not only for economic and cultural reasons but also for security reasons, of which the recent attack in Afghanistan is the catastrophic example,” they said, calling for school safety and “equal opportunities for girls and boys to continue pursuing their education.”

Afghanistan schools are targeted

According to the 2019 Secretary-General Report on Children and Armed Conflict, Afghanistan's schools and hospitals remain among the most frequently attacked. Preliminary statistics for 2020 reveal a similar concerning pattern, with COVID-19 aggravating children's, particularly girls', vulnerability.

“Girls might not have been given the option of returning to school when it reopens because they have had to work or be married off to take care of their families,” said the two UN officials.

In light of the ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, they emphasized that “countries must create the strategic choice of prioritizing education, including in armed conflict, in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of catching up with the least developed countries.”

Women's roles are being undermined.

Targeting girls weakens the critical role that educated girls and women perform in their societies' social and economic development.

The Special Representatives emphasized the importance of resolving the bloodshed in Afghanistan and reaching a negotiated resolution to the crisis. They have expressed their condolences to the victims' families and the Afghan government and wished those wounded in the heinous terrorist incident a complete recovery.